Red Sox, Blood Sock
Kaushal Toprani
Issue date: 10/29/04 Section: Sci-Tech
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After being hampered by a dislocated tendon in his ankle during Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, Curt Schilling's status for the rest of Major League Baseball's postseason was very much in doubt. However, Boston Red Sox team doctor Bill Morgan decided to try a novel fix to help Schilling pitch again.
At the end of the regular season, Schilling injured his right ankle while making a play coming off the pitcher's mound. One of the two tendons supporting his ankle was displaced from its proper groove.
When the tendon pops out, it tears the thin layer muscle that sits over the two tendons. This causes extreme pain as the tendon begins to move around. Skiers who fall backwards while locked into their skis often experience this type of injury. For a power pitcher like Schilling who generates a lot of force from his lower body, a pain free ankle is a must.
In order to stabilize the tendon, Morgan decided to sew skin to the tissue underneath in order to create a wall to keep the tendon is place. "We couldn't find a case of it ever being done before," Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein said.
As a test, the Red Sox tried out the procedure on a cadaver. Then, six hours before Game 6 versus the Yankees, Schilling had the stitches put it.
Along with the help of painkillers, Schilling was able to lead the Red Sox to a victory over the Yankees. After the game, the sutures were removed to avoid infection.
Schilling had the procedure again before facing the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the World Series. He was effective enough on the mound to help the Red Sox win that game as well.
The quick fix was an option because the time between the injury and surgery to permanently fix the problem is not a factor. In the off-season, Schilling will require surgery to put the tendon back in place and about three months of recovery time.
Thanks to help of this novel procedure, he has a World Series championship to take with him into the operating room.
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