Thursday, May 26, 2005

The Training Staff

There has been some speculation, with all the injuries for the Nats, that the training staff is not doing its job. Hard to tell, but here's an example that may be evidence of incompetence, from the Post's story on Patterson going to the DL:

Patterson received three injections to relieve the back problem Monday. During the third injection, he said he began to feel "woozy" and started to pass out. The doctor administering the procedure, Reds physician Timothy Kremchek, stopped the process, and Patterson received oxygen and had an IV inserted in his right arm.

The IV, however, caused stiffness in Patterson's wrist, and he had very little flexibility Monday. He has improved and plans to throw off a mound Friday and Saturday.


Two questions come to mind: (1) Was the training staff present during this procedure?, and (2) if so, why didn't they yell "THAT'S HIS PITCHING ARM!" when the Reds doctor was about to put an IV in his right arm? I would think you would always use the pitcher's opposite arm for IVs, shots, etc.

1 Comments:

At 10:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well I'd guess that the shot was a Corticosteroid or the like, where it needs to be administered near the site of swelling.

Maybe the same with the IV, although from that accounts it sounds just like giving fluids or the like in response to getting woozey, and there ya' got me why'd you'd mess with the golden arm.

Still, I'd be inclined to imagine that the doc had a clue about not unduly stressing the arm being treated without good reason.

The rash of injuries does build up some concerns about the other sort of stereoids. Lots of foreign players (where there is less taboo and stringent rules around performance enhancements) PLUS F-Rob seeming less than dilligent PLUS no owner to worry about their investments and pr fallout = a recipe for a mess. Just one of those back o' the noggin' worries.

 

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