There seems to be some surprise amongst the baseball world with the news that David Wright will be out for 6-to-8 weeks with a herniated disc in his neck, but I would not be surprised if this is the beginning of the end. In my opinion, injuries to an athlete’s core are the most threatening injuries from a long-term perspective as they tend to be the most chronic. Core injuries such as back, neck, and abdominal injuries have a tendency to recur and also have tendency to spread into other areas. The fact that Wright has the recent history of spinal stenosis in his lower back, and now is dealing with a herniated disc in his neck is definitely a red flag for fantasy owners and likely for his career.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team
The nature of both the spinal stenosis and the herniated disc is important in this case as the two conditions create a situation similar to being trapped in an alley with enemies covering both sides. Generally speaking, the symptoms from a herniated disc will be made worse when a person flexes or bends. The bending of the vertebral column generally causes the disc to slide backward, similar to a hamburger slipping out the back of the hamburger bun. As the disc slips further and further back it pinches off nerves that in this case control the functions of Wright’s arms, as our arm function is controlled at the neck level of the spine.
On the contrary, the symptoms of spinal stenosis are generally worsened by the opposite motion of extending or straightening. Straightening or arching the back causes the spinal canal to narrow causing the spinal cord to have pressure on it similar to what happens if you were to pinch a drinking straw closed somewhere near the bottom. With the spinal cord, this causes pain and sometimes disrupts the function of the legs which are controlled by that lower area of the spinal cord. Someone with this combination of diagnosis literally has to pay a price no matter which way they bend. Fortunately for Wright, his disc herniation is in his neck and his stenosis is in his low back, which should make his case a little bit easier to treat.
The biggest problem I see with Wright is that these injuries do not appear to be from traumatic or singular events, but rather appear to be from chronic and repetitious activities that are normal to his baseball routines. I have no doubt that he will recover with Physical Therapy and that he will likely play again. The issue is that he will always be one play away or a few weeks away from being re-injured. With injuries like these, he is susceptible to over-stretching or over-exerting in either direction and having his symptoms recur. Additionally, he is susceptible to simply returning to his normal playing schedule without incident and having his symptoms gradually return. Unfortunately, these injuries are the chronic and recurrent type and many non-athletes struggle to manage them with far less stress on their bodies as compared to a Major League Baseball player.
Many of the reports mention that Wright will try Physical Therapy first, which I am always a fan of. However, I think the mention of surgery with many of these reports suggests that this is a really serious case and that a procedure is a real option. Similar to most injuries, herniated disc injury is graded on the severity. Although I do not know the grade for Wright’s herniation, the 6-to-8 week lay off tells me that there is fear that it will get worse. Unlike many other injuries to the extremities, as opposed the core, this type of injury can easily progress to the next grade causing surgical intervention to be needed.
All of the evidence points to a likelihood of Wright’s production coming to an end. There is always the chance of a few more good performances in the distant future, but I would consider it very doubtful that he will be able to string together any consistent production for the remainder of this season and likely his career.
Dr. Eric Petty is a Physical Therapist who is taking his talents from the treatment room to help fantasy owners. You can find more of his work at his site, The Injury Report Doctor, and you can follow him @DrPettyIRD.