Los Angeles, California -Dodgers Baseball player Hiroki Kuroda will not be pitching in the National League division series according to his manager Joe Torre. Kuroda was diagnosed with a small disk herniation in his cervical spine. The diagnosis was confirmed with a cervical MRI on Thursday by his Doctor, Dr. Roberts Watkins. 
Kuroda said he's felt "tightness and discomfort" in the left side of his neck and upper back since taking the line drive off the right side of his head Aug. 15, but it wasn't until Tuesday while running in the outfield at PETCO Park in San Diego that he noticed pain. He said he tried to play catch and "felt pain I've never felt before and I stopped right away."
His trainer Stan Conte stated "He has like everybody -- especially people who have pitched -- he has some wear and tear on his neck, just like most of these guys do," trainer Stan Conte said. "He must have made a movement that irritated this. And created this small little tear in the disk and that's probably what happened. It's just serendipity.
"If he tried to pitch through this -- and Kuroda asked the doctor and asked us if we can do something so that he could pitch in spite of this -- he would have a chance of making this from a small herniation into a large herniation which in fact could require surgery. So that's the reason we are pretty much adamant that he will not be able to pitch until he has full pain free range of motion. Even though this is the playoffs, this is not something that you would inject and numb so he could pitch. You would not ever do that. That puts him at real significant risk."
"I'm definitely disappointed," said Kuroda. "They said recovery time varies depending on the person. I'm hopeful to come back and play in the playoffs."
Source: Neck injury sidelines Kuroda for NLDS
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Kuroda said he's felt "tightness and discomfort" in the left side of his neck and upper back since taking the line drive off the right side of his head Aug. 15, but it wasn't until Tuesday while running in the outfield at PETCO Park in San Diego that he noticed pain. He said he tried to play catch and "felt pain I've never felt before and I stopped right away."
His trainer Stan Conte stated "He has like everybody -- especially people who have pitched -- he has some wear and tear on his neck, just like most of these guys do," trainer Stan Conte said. "He must have made a movement that irritated this. And created this small little tear in the disk and that's probably what happened. It's just serendipity.
"If he tried to pitch through this -- and Kuroda asked the doctor and asked us if we can do something so that he could pitch in spite of this -- he would have a chance of making this from a small herniation into a large herniation which in fact could require surgery. So that's the reason we are pretty much adamant that he will not be able to pitch until he has full pain free range of motion. Even though this is the playoffs, this is not something that you would inject and numb so he could pitch. You would not ever do that. That puts him at real significant risk."
"I'm definitely disappointed," said Kuroda. "They said recovery time varies depending on the person. I'm hopeful to come back and play in the playoffs."
Source: Neck injury sidelines Kuroda for NLDS
Additional Resources:
- Neck Pain Resulting from a Cervical Radiculopathy
- Severe Neck Pain From a Herniated Disc: What are Your Treatment Options?
- How to End Neck pain By Doing Cervical traction at home
- Severe Neck Pain with Numbess and Tingling-- all from a Herniated Disc?
- Neck Pain Relief Kit
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