Gutierrez Heel Pain Keeps Him Out After Recovery From Chest Injury

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Heidi

Seattle Mariners Franklin Gutierrez is expected to remain out of action for another month at best, but not due to his original injury sustained over 2 months ago.

Gutierrez suffered a torn pectoral muscle during a throwing drill in pre-season training. Whilst this was expected to sideline him for a period of around 4-6 weeks, Gutierrez is still not ready to play. The right chest injury has healed and he is back throwing and hitting at full pace. The problem now is a bout of heel pain, thought to be plantar fasciitis, which is stopping him from running.

The club have confirmed that Gutierrez will undergo a third ‘treatment’ for plantar fasciitis next week, before attempting a minor league game in the next fortnight.

Whilst they haven’t specified what the ‘treatment’ is, the most beneficial treatments for this kind of injury are Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) and Corticosteroid injections.

Other forms of treatment commonly used for plantar fasciitis include sports massage for the calf muscles, alongside a frequent stretching program, cold therapy and acupuncture.

Washington Nationals Lose Leon to Ankle Injury

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Heidi

Catcher Sandy Leon was forced to retire from his Major League debut with an ankle injury. The Washington Nationals had drafted in Leon to replace Wilson Ramos who suffered an ACL injury at the weekend.

The injury occurred during a collision between Leon and San Diego’s Chase Headley. Leon’s ankle buckled underneath him and whilst he managed to stand again, he was helped off the field.

The injury was later confirmed as a high ankle sprain. This is a more serious form of injury which takes longer to heal than the far more common lateral ankle sprain. A high ankle sprain is damage to the ligament which holds the Tibia and Fibula (two lower leg bones) together at the front, top of the ankle. This is called the anterior tibiofulbular ligament.

Leon was seen later in the team’s clubhouse sporting a large walking boot and with the foot elevated on a stall. This will have helped with initial treatment of compression and elevation. No doubt he will have also had the ankle iced regularly for the first few hours after the injury.

Whilst high ankle sprains usually respond to a conservative treatment and rehabilitation program and rarely require surgery, they can be troublesome injuries. Ankle strengthening exercises will play a predominant role in Leon’s rehab, after the initial acute stage has passed.

Casey Out of World Match Play After Shoulder Pain Returns

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Heidi

Englishman Paul Casey has pulled out of the PGA World Match Play Tournament in Spain this Week. He originally injured his shoulder on Christmas Eve during a snowboarding fall. The shoulder dislocated and whilst there was no serious soft tissue damage, Casey concedes that he did not fully respect the injury or give it enough time to heal. He is quoted as saying “The problem is I haven’t stopped since playing in March. I rehabbed the injury too quickly, so I’ve only got myself to blame. Look at my schedule and ask yourself: ‘Where’s the rest?’ I haven’t looked after it properly.”

Whilst up until now the shoulder had been holding up, Casey was forced to withdraw after 9 holes of the Players Championship at Sawgrass last week due to a recurrence of shoulder pain.

First time shoulder dislocations usually cause some form of soft tissue damage, including labrum tears and rotator cuff injuries. Even if there are no specific tears, stretching of the shoulder ligaments and capsule occur which causes the joint to be less stable and increases the risk of repeat dislocations.

Shoulder dislocation rehabilitation should firstly include a period of immobilisation to allow everything to settle down and any soft tissue damage to heal. After this, a gradual introduction to mobility and strengthening exercises which progressively help to regain full movement and strength are used. More explosive exercises such as ball tosses and other sports specific drills can then be introduced before a return to sport.