12/20/2014 – Episode 518: Old Man Tennis

As promised, Dr. Souryal will keep you informed and entertained while you learn something new about the world of sports medicine, current events, and everything curious listeners want to know. In the News, the Mavericks have a new point guard Rajon Rondo and there is much speculation on how Dallas Cowboys’ running back DeMarco Murray’s metacarpal fracture will impact this season.

Even after a steroid shot, one listener asks why months later he has a hard time doing pushups or even holding onto his baby. The shoulder pain could point to an AC joint injury. Why is ACL rehab is so grueling and brutal? The first stage of effort is painful and muscles will atrophy and get stiff. After six or eight weeks it gets better, but by then it is natural to just not want to keep it up.

Dr. Souryal gives his special spin on the difference between a bone bruise and a hairline fracture, lesser known conditions such as Dupuytren’s nodules and De Quervain syndrome, and takes the opportunity to talk about a Finkelstein test in relation to one caller’s wrist pain. A young basketball player may need to take a complete break to secure her patellar instability.

A diagnosis of a “permanently dislocated” elbow or radial head doesn’t mean there is nothing to be done. A repeat caller describes a snap, crackle, and pop that could mean he has has some debris in his knee, and a pop in his shoulder that could be something else altogether. At the end of the show, Dr. Souryal advises one active listener to give up tennis before golf to reduce wear and tear on his aching knees, unless he plays “Old Man tennis”, that is.