The Torn Labrum (Not again)!

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 9:56 AM PDT Comment 19 comments

Thought I'd share my thoughts about the latest set of injuries as I have some experience dealing with them.

Just a few years ago we all cringed when we heard about Ellis torn labrum (shoulder) when he collided with 'Crashkid Crosby'. At least this time we can blame the opposition,right? A torn hip labrum is rare. It takes very strong forces that cause compression and shearing of the labrum to rip it. The good news is that the hip joint is strong and with surgery 6-8 weeks of rest and then rehab. If you thought Kotsay rehab was long, this will be about the same if not longer. Sorry DJ, we had high hopes for you but now we'll see if Durazo fills in or Barton gets the call.

Loiaza's injury is a recurrent one. It's probably affected by his pitching motion, especially when he takes his arm back before releasing the ball. There are specific exercises that can be done to both release and calm down the trapezius, it's a question of whether the trainers have been monitoring him as closely as they should. My assumption is that they have but he's not exactly 26 anymore and it may be an issue of age to some degree. I guarantee he's not sleeping well when placing weight on the right side of shoulder/neck. Commonly other muscles get recruited to compensate for a strain of one muscle and his Levator scapulae muscle on the right side is probably also tender. He may need a week or two to get this to calm down. There's no reason a 4 man rotation couldn't work in the meantime.

Anyway, hopefully this is helpful and we dont' have blame Crosby this time for our team's ailments

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I didn't realize...

that DJ and Torrealba had collided on that play, until DJ's injury first started being reported. IIRC, the live buancast call was all about Torrealba being down and in pain, and that he had possibly stepped on the bag badly, etc... nothing about a collision. So, going from "DJ was a bystander as Torrealba got hurt" to "DJ got badly hurt at the same time" has been a little shock. :(

"Everyone knows about it, but nobody's heard of it. Oh, it exists." ~ Dan Johnson

by Poppy on Mar 30, 2007 10:15 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It's pretty rare

think of all of the collisions in basketball and football, yet you rarely hear of this injury. It's an awkward type of injury and you need a couple of big bodies moving at a good speed to cause this.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Baseball teaching anatomy

I always thought that labrums were only inside shoulders, not hips as well. You learn something new every day!

by OaklandSi on Mar 30, 2007 10:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Is this team "hexed" or just "vexed"

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 11:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Gerard

Do you know something we don't?

by Colorado Fan on Mar 30, 2007 11:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes

But if I told you, I'd have to ...well you know...

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Esteban's flying trapezius

Thanks Gerard. Your medical insight always teaches me much more about players' injuries and possible prognoses than anything I read anywhere else. Much appreciated.

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." --Dr. Johnson

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Mar 30, 2007 11:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

So, Now What

Worst case scenerio defensively is that Durazo starts at first.

I would welcome that if we had perhaps a...gold glover at 3rd base, a de facto gold glover at 2nd base and a strong solid shortstop with gold glove ability.

Oh, we have that. So all Durazo has to do is field what's hit in front of him and catch what's thrown at him. He couldn't have a better surrounding cast. We know he didn't forget to hit. His bat makes this lineup potentially scary depending on the matchup. Common' Bob keep Ruby. It's not Daric or Travis' time yet!

I say for late game replacements, that's when you bring Swisher over. We are truly in good shape if he does this.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 11:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Valuable Insight

As always, fascinating to know more about the nature of these injuries. I have to think that Durazo will be able to grow at 1B, and we can always switch in Swisher at the end of a tight game. I like bringing Buck and Barton up the club. Why not? If they can stay hot and get some playing time, then we can get off to a hot start this year. Loaiza is a concern, can we get him a massage therapist? He needs to keep his velocity up but not strain himself.

"We're Menudo," -BB

by eshock on Mar 30, 2007 1:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

But with Loaiza it is the other side, from the

one last year. Could they have concentrated so much on the injured side, the other side became weaker?

by theblackpearl on Mar 30, 2007 1:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Interesting question

It's possible. In treatment most clinicians and physical therapists will treat both sides. You can imagine that the muscles on the right side are more developed than the left. If you don't treat the other (contralateral) side, those muscles tend to "pull" to compensate for what's going on at the site of injury. Hopefully, whoever is working on him is addressing both sides. Sometimes the patient will describe the pain as "moving around".

You'll see this type of injury with golfers and tennis players due to the repetitive motion of the swings.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We Aren't the Only ones with SP-injury woes ..

Take a Look:

Rogers has surgery, likely out until July

and Kenny is their "ace", right? Or their leader. At least Loaiza is our #3 {or so} but not considered the leader of the staff ..

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Mar 30, 2007 2:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks again Gerard

My question is how easy is DJ's injury to diagnose? This rare injury was found quite quickly and at an opportune moment considering the 25 man roster issues. Given all the alleged inability to diagnose other problems last year, I wonder. Did you read anywhere about MRI results? This one just does not sound right.

The Loiza question has been lingering all spring. These trainer's would certainly have been on top of the exercise regimen. Perhaps this is just a precaution. It is a long season and it is difficult to get through it without missing some injury days. Is this the type of injury that will benefit from a short rest or should we be planning DL time after maybe one start.

I personally figure both will be less impacted than we now think.

What are your thoughts on Kotsey's recovery. I know the procedure is not 100% sure but I am thinking he will be able to come back in June acting about 10 years younger in the field.

By the way, your advice on my knee has worked very well. I was this close to going to get it surgically repaired. After two weeks of the exercises it was 80% better. Still not 100% but the pain has really almost disappeared. You know your stuff.

Thomas Walker

by Thomas Walker on Mar 30, 2007 4:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, Johnson's hip was Dxd by MRI

It's a severe injury that is most often seen in hockey players. You can imagine the impact they receive when checking their oponents. A strong collision with a sheering force well placed to the hip can result in this type of injury. I truly believe 12 weeks is about right for DJ. I hope he proves me wrong. You can think of this as if cartilage is being sheered off of bone (ouch). I didn't personally see the MRI but read that he had one (which would confirm this). If I had that kind of access I wouldn't be discussing this at all.

Loaiza's situation is interesting because it could linger if not treated properly. I suspect it will be managed closely. Let's call it a success if he makes 30 starts this year. Last year improper use of spring training set him up for early failure. I don't expect him to fall that far this time around. You can be the A's brass will be a VERY sensitive to this issue.

I'm actally optimistic that Kotsay may be back even earlier than expected, but I expect the A's may prolong his minor league rehab just to make sure he's suitable to go all out when he returns to CF. Look for increased activity by mid May...if all goes well.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 30, 2007 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This team has to do something...

they are all made out of glass and sugar!!!

With the Oakland A's, the intravenous drip is always half full!

by OaktownRajah on Mar 31, 2007 1:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

it's just baseball

.. It seems just about every team in the MLB has injuries right now, some more serious than others -- just look at detroit's Kenny Rogers; even JayPay is going on the DL with the Orioles .. juan rivera broke his leg in winterball not even ST ..

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Mar 31, 2007 3:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

Great stuff Gerard. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have my doubts about Loaiza's health. He got hid hard last year when his fastball dipped to the mid 80s and last time out it was in the low 80s. His pitching line looked good but according to the game diary there were a lot of hard hit balls and he may have been a little lucky that day.

by Larry E on Mar 31, 2007 7:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The most obvious barometer the A's used last year was the velocity of his pitches. I am more concerned about a strained trapezius on the right side than the left. Last year, I suspect he was guarding or protecting the left shoulder and arm during his motion to the plate which resulted in restricted range of motion when extending his arm at the point of release. Having this occur on the right side may bring about a different set of problems. But the end result is loss of fluidity with regards to his pitching motion, which will result in decreased effectiveness.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Mar 31, 2007 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

injuries and sleeping well

Obviously, sleeping while not putting much strain or pressure on an injured area is a real concern. Why aren't there more (sophisticated, complicated) beds out there that can accommodate specific injuries, so an athlete can get a pain-free night of sleep??

You know I'm speaking rhetorically. Hospitals cannot even prevent decubitus ulcers in a typical long-stay patient.

"- J. Duchscherer relieved J. Duchscherer" per Yahoo! Sports Box Score

by One won lost won on Mar 31, 2007 8:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs