ASK THE DOCTOR!

Got a question for Doctor Ross

Who is Dr. Ross?    Dr. Ross is a member of the 40+ NABA Yankees. He has been practicing chiropractic for almost 18 years. Having moved from Southern California five years ago with his wife and three children, Dr. Ross was pleasantly surprised by the sports enthusiasm in the Sacramento area. Having coached for over thirty years, girl’s softball, little league, high school and college baseball, he has always had a passion for sports. Some of you may remember five years ago when he was playing baseball with one arm after breaking it diving for a flyball in practice (dumb move). During his time off from his practice, Dr. Ross spent  most of the year traveling from San Diego to San Francisco and Atlanta training for his certification for the Care of the Elite and Professional Athlete with the Giant’s and Diamondback’s team chiropractors. Although Dr. Ross specialized in athletic injuries prior to this certification program, it took his studies to the next level. With the “Ask the Doctor” section of the Sac NABA website he would like to provide a place for players to receive answers to those nagging question about those sometimes annoying injuries.  

Frequently asked questions by NABA Players answered by Dr. Ross:  

#1 Frequently asked question – Should I use ice or heat?   This is a question that comes up at my office everyday. In the literature there are many rules regarding this question, some are quite complicated. To simplify this answer remember when you first injure an area, ICE it!  Ice at 1 to 2 hour intervals for 15 minutes each time. After the initial episode if you continue to have pain, continue to ice. When the severity goes down to just sore, not pain and there is no swelling then you can use heat. Moist heat is the best, better than those creams and lotions. A few of the lotions give slight relief, however the inexpensive route is best. I’m asked many times about aspirin, Motrin and Advil…these non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications may cause more harm during the acute or early phase of an injury. These drugs have a blood thinning capacity which can cause “weeping” or bleeding into the injured tissues, thus causing more swelling and more damage. Prolonged use causes damage to the joint surfaces and the kidneys and liver. Finally remember, R-I-C-E for an acute injury, Rest, Ice, Compression (wrap it) and Elevation (higher than the heart). Ice is the miracle drug!  

What is the difference between a sprain and a strain?   A strain is not a mild sprain. A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon (tendon attaches muscle to bone), a sprain is an injury to a ligament (ligament attaches bone to bone). One is not more serious than the other, they each have three grades of the injury. Grade I is a mild injury which there is only a mild stretching of the tendon, muscle or ligament, these usually take several days (us old guys sometimes weeks) to recover.  Grade II includes a tearing of the tissues with bleeding into the injured area, this injury can be season ending especially if it is not treated immediately and properly. Some of these injuries can have lingering effects due to the residual soft tissue scarring. Grade III is a severe tear or rip of the tendon, muscle or ligament; this may need surgical repair and a long time to heal. Grade I’s are the most common and although generally mild need to be treated with respect.

For more questions e-mail Dr. Ross at dclefty@quiknet.com or call (916) 781-6432