Furcal suffers what appears to be another setback
Not sure the extent of it, but we just learned he woke up this morning with more discomfort in his back. He was sent back to Los Angeles for an exam, which I guess will take place tomorrow. I'll have more when I know more.
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About Inside the Dodgers
Tony Jackson has covered the Dodgers for
the Daily News since 2004 and has covered Major League Baseball on a
regular basis since 1995. He previously covered the Colorado Rockies
and Cincinnati Reds. He is a native of Springdale, Ark., and a graduate
of the University of Arkansas.
*sigh*
As predicted a few weeks ago: Furcal will need surgery & be out for the season. As predicted by the Vero Beach Curse. Deal with it; The VB Curse Lives!!!
What's going on his back? Dodgers cannot hit well without him.
Now Ned will probably make a bad deal for a shortstop, involving Andre Ethier.
noooooooooooo, tony how bad is it? is it only minor? crap.
Tony said...
"I'll have more when I know more."
I guess Rafael, that means he'll have more when he knows more.
My guess is it's not minor. Why would he go back to LA if it was minor? The guy has a slipped/bulging disc in his lumbar spine. It's a debilitating injury. (look up the word: debilitate) I've been around x-ray facilities and have seen many injuries of this type and have seen their follow-ups. They usually don't go very well. Sometimes they have ended Major League careers depending how severe they are. Remember, this is the second time Furcal has injured the SAME area and, he did it only eight months apart from one another.
Now, I'm not an expert on the subject but, I do know a few things having been in the field before. The fact he's even playing right now is amazing. He probably has what is called a "lumbar invertebral disc subluxation". Ask your doctor what that means. He'll tell you it's no fun at all. This is from all those spectacular diving stops and amazing twisting throws that Furcal makes while in mid air.
Sometimes after core strengtheing, chiropractic techniques might be able to help the disc back to place. If that doesn't work, then surgery is usually required to shave part of the subluxed disc away to relieve the impingement of the nerve that's causing the pain. The rehab is not very comfortable.
He's probably going to eventually have the surgery if all this other rehab doesn't work and, even then, he may only be a shell of his former self. Then it may be career over. He'll be lucky to just enjoy life free of pain. I'm not exaggerating this... really. People think this is something he can just take a pill with or strengthen his core from or whatever and then he'll be okay. I only wish this were the case.
I wish only the best Raffy... get well soon. We need you!!
Oh... and Snuffy... I think I speak for the rest of the board when I say, "Go to hell."
Ooops... it's been a while. It's acually not a "lumbar invertebral disc subluxation". That's when a vertebrae slips out of place.
When a disc bulges, it's called a "lumbar disc hernia" or "bulge". Chiropractic doesn't help this much. Like I said, I'm not an expert, but I've seen the results of patients with these types of injuries.
Conservatively, Furcal was looking at a 4-year, $46M payday with his impending free agency. If this back issue keeps him out most of the rest of the season, teams are going to be far less likely to take a risk with him. It's not too farfetched to see a scenario where Colletti gets Furcal back on a one-year contract decided at arbitration. Hu/DeJesus insurance.
To DOCTOR SATAN KevinS: I will gladly join you & McCourt's listless Dodgers in hell...The Vero Beach Curse has put you & McCourt there already...I will make some visits. The VB Curse Lives!!!