Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier will be out of the lineup for the next 10 to 14 weeks after fracturing his right tibia, according to ESPN.
Ethier was injured after fouling a ball off his right shin during a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Although X-rays initially revealed no broken bones, a follow-up CT scan revealed a fracture.
“It’s a freak injury,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “You see plays all the time where guys foul a ball off their leg, and very rarely does it result in this. But it is what it is, and he’s motivated to work very hard to get back as soon as he can. Obviously, we were counting on him being a big, big part of our success this year, and we’re still counting on him.”
After batting .294 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs in 395 at-bats last season, Ethier was expected to play an important role in the Dodgers’ quest to reach the World Series this season, but could potentially be held back by this injury even when he does return to the lineup.
How much will this injury affect him going forward? Let’s ask an expert!
At Delray Beach Podiatry, Dr. Ian S. Goldbaum, a podiatric physician and surgeon with over 30 years of experience, has seen numerous tibial fractures throughout his career in medicine and has insight into Ethier’s recovery based on the information currently available.
“They’ll likely have him in a cast for six weeks before they can begin physical therapy,” said Dr. Goldbaum, who has offices in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. “When there is any injury to a weight-bearing joint, there will always be a lot of physical therapy in order to bring his muscles back around.”
As far as additional treatments, Dr. Goldbaum believes that it is more than likely that Ethier will be using a bone stimulator in order to expedite the healing process of his fracture. A bone growth stimulator uses pulsed waves of ultrasound to help fractures heal faster by increasing the cellular uptake of calcium in bone cells and speeding up the rate at which new bone cells solidify.
“It’ll take at least six weeks for the bone to mend,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “They might utilize a bone stimulator, which sends an electrical charge into the bone to bring the two ends of the bone together and speed up the healing process, but I’d still put his minimum recovery time of the bone itself around six weeks to be safe.”
In addition to bone stimulation, Dr. Goldbaum also believes that Ethier may undergo platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments during his recovery in order to further expedite the healing process.
PRP is plasma that contains more platelets than what is typically found in blood. These platelets contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors which are very important in the healing of injuries. This process has become especially popular in recent years with famous athletes like Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal using PRP to treat their injuries.
“PRP can be very beneficial for injuries such as this,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “During this process, a doctor will take the patients blood and spin it. They take out the plasma part, which has all of the growth factors, so they can then use it an injection to heal other areas faster. I’m not sure if they used that with (Ethier), but that procedure is a big deal today.”
As for post-cast recovery, Dr. Goldbaum notes that the burden will fall on the Dodgers’ training staff to keep Ethier healthy throughout the remainder of the season by utilizing extensive taping and careful management of the affected area.
“They’re going to have to tape him up once he’s back,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “He’s going to be very weak when he starts going again, and the training staff is going to have to monitor him closely to make sure he doesn’t reinjure himself.”
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The content on this website is for informational purposes only. Do not rely or act upon information from www.DelrayBeachPodiatry.com without seeking professional medical advice. If you live in South Florida and would like a consultation with Dr. Ian Goldbaum, a podiatric physician and surgeon with over 30 years of experience, please see our contact information below:
BOCA/DELRAY
16244 S. Military Trail #290, Delray Beach, FL 33445
561-499-0033
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8198 Jog Road #100, Boynton Beach, FL 33472
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