Luvofthegame
09-18-2006, 12:01 AM
Cardinals closer to undergo surgery for nagging hip injury
By Matthew Leach
MLB.com
9/17/06
What was feared, and then expected, is now confirmed for the Cardinals. Jason Isringhausen will not pitch again this year, as a result of injuries to his left hip. Isringhausen is dealing with an impingement and arthritis in his hip and will immediately begin exploring the options for surgical repair.
"We've done everything that we've been able to do up to this point to try and get him to pitch with an acceptable level of discomfort, and in a way that is not affecting his ability to pitch," said Cardinals head team physician Dr. George Paletta. "There are no more tricks. There are no more options. There are no more choices."
Isringhausen received a cortisone shot on Monday to alleviate the pain he feels in the hip. He threw a bullpen session on Friday, and although for the most part he had good stuff, he continued to experience mechanical problems and discomfort in his hip.
"He was so depressed about how he felt that I think today was a formality," said manager Tony La Russa. "We wanted to try to wait till today, but he could tell as the day went on that he wasn't feeling good."
The injury is in his landing hip, so when Isringhausen makes a pitch, it's always in question as to whether the hip will hold his body up or give out.
"Yesterday wasn't a very positive step for him," Paletta said. "He said he felt OK throwing, but he still felt like his hip was collapsing on a lot of the throws. I wasn't here. I didn't see it. But I know the key fact from Izzy was that he just didn't feel like he could go at the level that he feels like he needs to."
Isringhausen will not accompany the Cardinals on their road trip to Milwaukee at the start of the week. Instead, he will consult with approximately three hip specialists to determine the best course of action. One way or another, he will undergo surgery. It is simply a question of how serious and invasive a procedure it will be.
That question will then determine how quickly Isringhausen can be available in 2007.
"There are probably a couple of approaches for this," Paletta said. "One approach would be to scope it and clean it out and see if that buys him a year. That would probably be the simplest and the least time-consuming in terms of his recovery. The second option would be to do something more aggressive."
Such a procedure would likely sideline Isringhausen for a period of months, jeopardizing at least part of his 2007 season. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to know what needs to be done until the operation begins.
In his fifth season as a Cardinal, Isringhausen set the franchise's career saves record this year, but struggled through his worst year as a reliever. He was charged with 10 blown saves and eight losses and allowed 10 home runs in 58 1/3 innings.
He had been battling some hip discomfort throughout the year, an issue that dates back to 2004. An operation on the joint followed the '04 season, and Isringhausen enjoyed a strong year in '05. He pitched through pain and with altered mechanics for much of this season before finally telling the club it was too much to bear. Isringhausen has been shelved since Sept. 7.
"He's done as much as he can do," Paletta said. "He's gone out there and fought through a situation where, I don't want to say a lot of guys wouldn't have, but there was clearly a physical issue. We did the best we can to manage it all the way through. It's just progressed to the point that now he can't do it."
The Cardinals are expected to use Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright to handle ninth-inning duties.
"Somebody's got to play," La Russa said. "Somebody's got to pitch. So we just make the best of it."
By Matthew Leach
MLB.com
9/17/06
What was feared, and then expected, is now confirmed for the Cardinals. Jason Isringhausen will not pitch again this year, as a result of injuries to his left hip. Isringhausen is dealing with an impingement and arthritis in his hip and will immediately begin exploring the options for surgical repair.
"We've done everything that we've been able to do up to this point to try and get him to pitch with an acceptable level of discomfort, and in a way that is not affecting his ability to pitch," said Cardinals head team physician Dr. George Paletta. "There are no more tricks. There are no more options. There are no more choices."
Isringhausen received a cortisone shot on Monday to alleviate the pain he feels in the hip. He threw a bullpen session on Friday, and although for the most part he had good stuff, he continued to experience mechanical problems and discomfort in his hip.
"He was so depressed about how he felt that I think today was a formality," said manager Tony La Russa. "We wanted to try to wait till today, but he could tell as the day went on that he wasn't feeling good."
The injury is in his landing hip, so when Isringhausen makes a pitch, it's always in question as to whether the hip will hold his body up or give out.
"Yesterday wasn't a very positive step for him," Paletta said. "He said he felt OK throwing, but he still felt like his hip was collapsing on a lot of the throws. I wasn't here. I didn't see it. But I know the key fact from Izzy was that he just didn't feel like he could go at the level that he feels like he needs to."
Isringhausen will not accompany the Cardinals on their road trip to Milwaukee at the start of the week. Instead, he will consult with approximately three hip specialists to determine the best course of action. One way or another, he will undergo surgery. It is simply a question of how serious and invasive a procedure it will be.
That question will then determine how quickly Isringhausen can be available in 2007.
"There are probably a couple of approaches for this," Paletta said. "One approach would be to scope it and clean it out and see if that buys him a year. That would probably be the simplest and the least time-consuming in terms of his recovery. The second option would be to do something more aggressive."
Such a procedure would likely sideline Isringhausen for a period of months, jeopardizing at least part of his 2007 season. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to know what needs to be done until the operation begins.
In his fifth season as a Cardinal, Isringhausen set the franchise's career saves record this year, but struggled through his worst year as a reliever. He was charged with 10 blown saves and eight losses and allowed 10 home runs in 58 1/3 innings.
He had been battling some hip discomfort throughout the year, an issue that dates back to 2004. An operation on the joint followed the '04 season, and Isringhausen enjoyed a strong year in '05. He pitched through pain and with altered mechanics for much of this season before finally telling the club it was too much to bear. Isringhausen has been shelved since Sept. 7.
"He's done as much as he can do," Paletta said. "He's gone out there and fought through a situation where, I don't want to say a lot of guys wouldn't have, but there was clearly a physical issue. We did the best we can to manage it all the way through. It's just progressed to the point that now he can't do it."
The Cardinals are expected to use Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright to handle ninth-inning duties.
"Somebody's got to play," La Russa said. "Somebody's got to pitch. So we just make the best of it."