5/24/09

More on back spasms

If you haven’t heard, Francisco Rodriguez collapsed from back spasms after last night’s win and had to be taken away by an ambulance to a Boston hospital.

Thanks to WebMD, we can get a little more info on back injuries, and it’s not good news:

The course of low back pain depends both on its cause and on how well you treat your back.

  • Most low back pain lasts less than 3 months. Overall, 60% of low back pain goes away within 1 week, 90% within 6 weeks, and up to 95% recover within 12 weeks. Over 98% of low back pain is gone within 1 year.1
  • After the first time you have hurt your back, you are more likely to hurt your back again. Many people who recover from low back pain will have a repeat episode within a year. Most people will have it again sometime during their lives.

If the pain continues, K-Rod will likely go in for a CT scan or MRI to diagnose the problem.

There are many ways to treat back pain.  From the simplest of simple as rest, to medication, shots, heat therapy, stimulation, acupuncture and many more.

Hopefully, for K-Rod, the Mets and their fans, everything works itself out quickly.  Back injuries, especially for pitchers, could be a reoccurring injury if not diagnosed properly and well maintained.

The Mets should tread lightly with K-Rod.  Very lightly.