David Pinto - Baseball Musings:
In a report for Newsday, David Lennon says several Mets players, including
Johan Santana,
Mike Pelfrey, and
R.A. Dickey, have taken Toradol injections to cope with pain and soreness in recent seasons.
According to Lennon, “Toradol is an NSAID, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; it’s in the same class as over-the-counter medication like Advil, Aleve and Motrin. The difference is that Toradol is far more potent – it must be prescribed by a physician – and it is injected, usually into the buttocks.”
Misuse of the drug can lead to kidney damage.
Michael Barron, the author of the post goes on to describe his use of the drug after serious neck surgery.
This is one of those instances when players seem to be straddling the line between pain management and performance enhancement. Given their pain levels before the game, would a doctor normally recommend this pain killer, or a couple of over the counter pills. It’s important to note that we suffer pain for a reason. Pain is an indicator that something is wrong with us. It helps to limit what we try to do so our bodies heal. Taking away the pain may help the athlete perform better, but it could also lead to more damage as the player goes past the point where the pain would stop them.
Sandy Alderson has a blot on his career due to steroid use in Oakland. I hope history is not repeating itself in New York. (Although I assume this is probably going on in a lot of club houses.)
Posted by David Pinto at 11:21 am
1 comment, 1 new
