Athletics Pitcher Dan Giese Out with Ulnar Nerve Problems
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Dan Giese was placed on the Disabled List with an irritated ulnar nerve. Lefty Gio Gonzalez has replaced him. “The nerve in my elbow jumped ship and it causes numbness down to my hand when it bounced around,” Giese said. “I’ve had it before, but not this bad.” Giese has had the problem on and off since 2007. The problem arose again during his last game and caused him to fall to his knees in pain after a pitch. He said it’s usually at least two weeks before he can pitch again. Giese suffers from Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (CuTS), a repetitive stress injury (RSI) that can result in moderate to severe pain and numbness in the elbow and ring & little fingers. Untreated, CuTS can result in extreme pain, surgery or an unusable hand. People suffering from CuTS can seek information and Surgery is sometimes the only solution to CuTS. Reliever Russ Springer had surgery to relocate his ulnar nerve. Though athletes usually require 4-6 months of rehab after ulnar nerve surgery, Springer only rested for 10 days. He said he returned to the mound so fast that his arm was still black and blue its entire length. “I don’t recommend it,” he said. Discuss this article in our forums Related posts:
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