I'd like one of the SOSHMD's to chime in on this (again).
Victorino had something called "nerve release surgery" on his thumb (don't know which one) in December 2013. That must have had some impact on his hitting (LH?) that year.
His right (?) hamstring was also an issue in 2013 - which extended into 2014.
The Amateur Hour Website on Herniated Discs states the following:
General symptoms typically include one or a combination of the following (depending on which disc is herniated):
So the questions about Victorino are as follows:
1. Is the hamstring issue a thing of the past? Was it related to the back issue? Wouldn't conditioning address the hamstring?
2. It seems, though, that the back issue came up much later. Do herniated discs evolve over a period of time or are they relatively instantaneous?
3. It's obvious that no one could play baseball with those symptoms. With the success rate so high, is it presumptuous that Victorino could regain all necessary strength and mobility to play at his usual high level?
If the thumb, hamstring and back are remediated, and if Shane has had enough time to do essential pre-spring training conditioning, it's not too much of a stretch to predict a high quality Victorino-like ballplayer who comes back, albeit 2 years older.
What gives me optimism is that the injuries were neither hand related, bone related, or ligament related - and maybe getting rid of the pain (thumb and back) and hamstring issues will rejuvenate him. That's not a wild stretch in thinking.
On the other hand, the hamstring stuff seems recurrent...and being a year older doesn't bode well for that situation going away.
Victorino had something called "nerve release surgery" on his thumb (don't know which one) in December 2013. That must have had some impact on his hitting (LH?) that year.
His right (?) hamstring was also an issue in 2013 - which extended into 2014.
The Amateur Hour Website on Herniated Discs states the following:
General symptoms typically include one or a combination of the following (depending on which disc is herniated):
- Leg pain (sciatica), which may occur with or without lower back pain. Typically the leg pain is worse than the lower back pain.
- Numbness, weakness and/or tingling in the leg
- Lower back pain and/or pain in the buttock
- L5 nerve impingement...Weakness in extending the big toe and potentially in the ankle (foot drop). Numbness and pain can be felt on top of the foot, and the pain may also radiate into the buttock.
- S1 nerve impingement...Loss of the ankle reflex and/or weakness in ankle push off (patients cannot do toe rises). Numbness and pain can radiate down to the sole or outside of the foot.
So the questions about Victorino are as follows:
1. Is the hamstring issue a thing of the past? Was it related to the back issue? Wouldn't conditioning address the hamstring?
2. It seems, though, that the back issue came up much later. Do herniated discs evolve over a period of time or are they relatively instantaneous?
3. It's obvious that no one could play baseball with those symptoms. With the success rate so high, is it presumptuous that Victorino could regain all necessary strength and mobility to play at his usual high level?
If the thumb, hamstring and back are remediated, and if Shane has had enough time to do essential pre-spring training conditioning, it's not too much of a stretch to predict a high quality Victorino-like ballplayer who comes back, albeit 2 years older.
What gives me optimism is that the injuries were neither hand related, bone related, or ligament related - and maybe getting rid of the pain (thumb and back) and hamstring issues will rejuvenate him. That's not a wild stretch in thinking.
On the other hand, the hamstring stuff seems recurrent...and being a year older doesn't bode well for that situation going away.