Curt Schilling's Shoulder Injury And Cortisone Shot - Was This The Right Move?
by Dr. Kareem Samhouri author of Double Edged Fat Loss

Cortisone shots are dangerous! They are very effective in managing pain and decreasing inflammation, but it is through this very mechanism that they also break down other important tissues, such as ligaments and cartilage in the surrounding area. Curt Schilling just had a cortisone shot, and hopefully, there will be no long term disadvantage to this treatment. In reality, professional athletes are faced with this difficult decision all the time. On one hand, it is fairly safe to get up to three cortisone shots without huge amounts of risk. On the other hand, risking your shoulder, knee, back, or ankle for any amount of time, whatsoever, is less than appealing.

Typically, the treatment given to professional athletes is decided upon by two factors:

1) What is the best thing for the athlete?

2) How much money will be lost by the team and/or athlete as a result of this? Is there an immediate and ethical decision that can be made to prevent this?

The truth is, both questions are important and relevant. Football players, for example, many times only get paid if they play. They could be losing up to $1,000,000 every game that they miss. I know what you're thinking: "If that's the case, they'll be fine so long as they play most of the games they'll still have $10,000,000..."

While this is true, let's take it a bit further. This person has a mortgage and other 'normal, everyday expenses' to pay, based off of an estimated income that did not include this injury. This athlete is also causing successive damage to his body for what's to be a rather short career. If the career is too short, he'll know for sure that this injury was not worth the price. Getting back on the field is job security, and playing sport is what he loves to do.

Many times, the competitive spirit can even take over and lead someone back on to the field with an injury. I did this myself playing water polo. The game was tied and we were about to go into overtime. I had hurt my shoulder, but it was the championship match. By the end of the game, I had torn my labrum. Needless to say, without rehab, my shoulder would be a mess. I put myself through an intensive program that helped strengthen my shoulder, while avoiding surgery, cortisone shots, or other more aggressive methods. Fortunately for me, I did not have a ten million dollar contract to think about and I was able to heal my shoulder the right way.

More Articles By Dr. Kareem Samhouri

Return to the Workout Articles Archive