Dr. Neil Minkoff
Special to CSNNE.com
Dr. M, remind mewhats a stress fracture?
A stress fracture isnt a broken bone the way we normally think of them. The bone isnt snapped in two.
A stress fracture is a really small group of cracks on the surface of the bone. They kind of look like the little starburst cracks that happen when a rock strikes your windshield. They tend to be caused by overusetheyre most common in marathoners and ballet dancers. The treatment is simple: rest. Stop overusing the bone or joint and the cracks go away. But it takes months. Buchholz is basically reinjuring the spot with every pitch he throws.
Pitching is a remarkably abnormal activity. Sandy Koufax said that being an effective pitcher means turning the human body into a catapult. Shoulders and elbows get torn up. A lot of stress is put on the lower back and the pelvis. Every pitch causes a small amount of damage. In this case, the damage was concentrated at one spot, which led to the stress fracture in the lower back.
Theres no reason to worry about the fact that it took the Sox a while to find this. The symptoms of a stress fracture are exactly the same as those of muscle inflammation. They wouldnt be able to tell the difference without an MRI or an even less common test called a bone scan. Also, since they would have rested him and then tried some side sessions, his care is the same either way.
The long term prognosis is excellent. Buccholz will be fine after some rest. The Sox will probably want to build his core muscles up a little to help take the burden off the bones in his lower back.
Boston Red Sox
Now someone tell me, how good is Erik Bedard?