Chicago Cubs: Darvish is tougher than Yu think

Chicago Cubs: Sometimes, you just know something is wrong

When I tore my labrum and rotator cuff at 24, the doctor didn’t see it in an X-ray or conventional MRI.  He told me he found no structural damage and suggested PT since surgery wasn’t necessary despite the fact I knew something was seriously wrong.

I went through 12 weeks of PT and still knew my arm wasn’t right.  I told him so.  At that point, he believed me and I had an arthrogram done, the dye injected MRI that makes it easier to see issues with soft tissue. He found a labral tear after doing the arthrogram and we scheduled surgery.

Funny thing is, when he cut me open and looked at everything, he also found a torn rotator cuff and the bone spur that was responsible for tearing a ligament when inflamed from throwing. He repaired everything, I went through PT, and was able to throw again nine months later.

My point here is that doctors can’t see everything.  Despite the marvels of modern medicine, we are still our own best doctors, and sometimes we know when something just isn’t right.  You don’t even have to be a world-class athlete to feel when something isn’t right.  Although, when you are, like Yu Darvish, you know immediately when something isn’t right and how far you can push your body before it goes from uncomfortable to just plain foolish.