April 26, 2025 • 7 mins
Dr. Matthew Grunkemeyer from OrthoCincy joined us to discuss Christian Encarnacion-Strand's lower black inflammation and Carson Spiers' shoulder impingement.
Learn more about OrthoCincy by going here.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
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Learn more about OrthoCincy by going here.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, it's time we do this once a week to
check in with one of the experts from Ortho Sincy
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. We talk injuries, and the great
thing about Orthosincy is they've got specialist locations and services
all over the tri State, including walk in orthopedic urgent
care at five different locations with extended evening and weekend
(00:20):
hours in Edgewood and Anderson. Learn more at orthosinc dot com.
That's orthos ci Ncy dot com. Doctor Matthew Gruckemeyer from
Orthosincia is with us. Let's start by talking about Christian
and Carnacion strand Cees last week was placed on the
injured list. He is dealing with lower back inflammation. This
(00:41):
is something that had been an issue for a while
and they were trying to manage it with a mixture
of rest and also getting some playing time, but not
putting them on the injured list. And the issue wasn't
necessarily getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either, and
his numbers weren't very good. So let's kind of start
with that. When he first felt something, why would this
(01:02):
maybe be not viewed as something serious at the time.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, well it's hard to know. But you know, if
you arrived tweak our back when we're uh, you know,
breaking the leaves or mowing the yard or picking up
some furniture. Uh, it's not gonna necessarily initially affect us
that bad. But let down the road, it might be worse. Right,
But this guy, you know, he's facing the pressures of
being a major league baseball player, and and and the
(01:30):
strain of having to run and and and field and
do all the things you've got to do, bend over
and you know, pick up grounders, et cetera. Uh it,
so it may just magnified. Initially he thought I'll pull
it off. I'll you know, take it easy, take a
day or two off, and I'll be fine, which could
have been the case. But it sounds like this was
a little more involved, uh than than he anticipated.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
What causes inflammation, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
A lot of different things can cause muscle inflammation. Can
be from trauma, can be repetitive views, could be arthritis
developing maybe in a premature fashion. Old injuries can result
in scar tissue, which will be a setup for inflammation.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
What you know, we we we've heard that he had
an epidural and I have a question about that, but
what are some of the treatment options beyond just him
not playing?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, well, you know, obviously physical therapy is a mainstay
making sure you've got a strong core, which I assume
most of these athletes do, and there's other modalities they
can do, ice therapy, heat therapy, dry needling, there's just
a cupping. There's a wide range of different therapy modalities
(02:44):
that can be used, and I'm sure that they're he's
getting the best treatments from therapists and trainers that are
out there.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Is inflammation in the back, is that maybe more problematic
than dealing with something similar somewhere else on the body, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Sure can be. You know, the back's pretty complex assortment
of small joints, bones, and discs, as you know, all
of which are a cage to protect the spinal cord
and the nerves that go out to the rest of
the body. So it can be quite complex and so
really really nailing down the diagnosis and the accurate treatment
(03:19):
is going to be key to recovery. And as you know,
back pain does disable at a lot of folks and
including you know, high caliber athletes or not immune to
that to that problem. So this could be potentially more serious,
but hopefully not so.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I was reading this story about this injury on the
air the other day and I said, they've given him
an epidural, and I legitimately had a caller to the
show ask like I didn't know Christian and Karnassi on
Strand was pregnant. I think people hear epidural and they
associate that with somebody going through child labor. I know
that's not the case, but explain what an epidural is.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Sure, the epidural space is a space EPI means above
the dura, which is the nerve coverings. So essentially you're
just inserting a needle into that space and obviously don't
want to go into the nerves, but right above them,
and you're going to either inject some numbing medicine such
as lytokine or additionally, which is what they would use,
(04:18):
or a longer acting lightokane, which was what they would
use to allow you to undergo childbirth. But they probably
wouldn't do that. They would probably inject some anti inflammat
or a medicine into that region, or steroid. For example.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I want to ask you about Carson Spiers, who's on
the Ange list now with a right shoulder impingement. He's
a right handed pitcher. He pitched in the Reds game
on Saturday and said he felt something before the season
started and it kind of came to a head. I
guess during that ninety four pitch outing on Saturday afternoon.
I feel like the term impingement is not something I
heard about four or five years ago. Maybe I'm just
(04:51):
paying closer attention. So let's start there. What's an impingement
and what are the symptoms?
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Sure? Yeah, So the shoulder has the shoulder blade, as
you know, it has a bony projection over the top
called the achromium process that protects the shoulder. You've heard
of like an ac sprain right for example. That's where
the achromium goes up against the cea, the clavicle or
the collarbone, and there's a joint there. Well, that joint
(05:19):
can get inflamed and the undersurface of that so there's
a roof. Underneath the roof is the moving parts, the
rotator cuff. So when you elevate your arm above your
head like you do when you're going to throw a pitch,
you will have some inevitable pinching or bumping up of
(05:40):
the rotator cuff against that achromium process, and that is
the term we use, is impingement or a pinch so
to speak. Now, many people can do that repetitively and
lift their arms up over their head without a problem.
But if you start developing some inflammation again or versidis
or maybe a small partial care or something that's aggravating
(06:03):
a bone spur or something aggravating that area, you can
think of it like a little rock in your shoe,
you know, And that's essentially what's going on in the shoulder,
is there's just a little nightice of inflammation or pinching there,
and so they're going to probably try to treat that
with some rest, maybe some physical therapy. Potentially a quarterisone.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Injection realistic that he should be able to return within
just a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Could be although you know, pitching is a very high
demand activity that you're asking the shoulder to perform, and
so you know, it's like if you got a rock
in your shoe, you know, can you run a marathon
next week? Well, if you get the rock out, you
probably can, you know. But if they're not able to
get that inflammation down it could persist longer. I sure
(06:50):
wouldn't want to run the pig with a rock in
my shoe.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I don't want to run the pig at all, but
specifically with the rock and show, no question about it.
Doctor Matthew Grunkenbire from orthosins incredible insight as always, Thank
you so much.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, no problem, have a great day.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Okay, there you go. Doctor Matthew Gunkemeyer from Ortho Sincy.
We say this every single week because it's true. The
great thing about Ortho Sincy is they have specialists in
locations all over the Tri State, including walk in orthopedic
urgent care during the week from nine a m. To
nine pm and on Saturdays from nine am to one
pm at both Edgewood and Anderson. It's easy because you
(07:27):
don't need an appointment and it's definitely cheaper than going
to an er. Whenever you have an urgent orthopedic injury,
check out Orthosincy dot com. That's Orthos c I Ncy
dot com.
Okay, it's time we do this once a week to
check in with one of the experts from Ortho Sincy
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. We talk injuries, and the great
thing about Orthosincy is they've got specialist locations and services
all over the tri State, including walk in orthopedic urgent
care at five different locations with extended evening and weekend
(00:20):
hours in Edgewood and Anderson. Learn more at orthosinc dot com.
That's orthos ci Ncy dot com. Doctor Matthew Gruckemeyer from
Orthosincia is with us. Let's start by talking about Christian
and Carnacion strand Cees last week was placed on the
injured list. He is dealing with lower back inflammation. This
(00:41):
is something that had been an issue for a while
and they were trying to manage it with a mixture
of rest and also getting some playing time, but not
putting them on the injured list. And the issue wasn't
necessarily getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either, and
his numbers weren't very good. So let's kind of start
with that. When he first felt something, why would this
(01:02):
maybe be not viewed as something serious at the time.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, well it's hard to know. But you know, if
you arrived tweak our back when we're uh, you know,
breaking the leaves or mowing the yard or picking up
some furniture. Uh, it's not gonna necessarily initially affect us
that bad. But let down the road, it might be worse. Right,
But this guy, you know, he's facing the pressures of
being a major league baseball player, and and and the
(01:30):
strain of having to run and and and field and
do all the things you've got to do, bend over
and you know, pick up grounders, et cetera. Uh it,
so it may just magnified. Initially he thought I'll pull
it off. I'll you know, take it easy, take a
day or two off, and I'll be fine, which could
have been the case. But it sounds like this was
a little more involved, uh than than he anticipated.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
What causes inflammation, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
A lot of different things can cause muscle inflammation. Can
be from trauma, can be repetitive views, could be arthritis
developing maybe in a premature fashion. Old injuries can result
in scar tissue, which will be a setup for inflammation.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
What you know, we we we've heard that he had
an epidural and I have a question about that, but
what are some of the treatment options beyond just him
not playing?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, well, you know, obviously physical therapy is a mainstay
making sure you've got a strong core, which I assume
most of these athletes do, and there's other modalities they
can do, ice therapy, heat therapy, dry needling, there's just
a cupping. There's a wide range of different therapy modalities
(02:44):
that can be used, and I'm sure that they're he's
getting the best treatments from therapists and trainers that are
out there.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Is inflammation in the back, is that maybe more problematic
than dealing with something similar somewhere else on the body, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Sure can be. You know, the back's pretty complex assortment
of small joints, bones, and discs, as you know, all
of which are a cage to protect the spinal cord
and the nerves that go out to the rest of
the body. So it can be quite complex and so
really really nailing down the diagnosis and the accurate treatment
(03:19):
is going to be key to recovery. And as you know,
back pain does disable at a lot of folks and
including you know, high caliber athletes or not immune to
that to that problem. So this could be potentially more serious,
but hopefully not so.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I was reading this story about this injury on the
air the other day and I said, they've given him
an epidural, and I legitimately had a caller to the
show ask like I didn't know Christian and Karnassi on
Strand was pregnant. I think people hear epidural and they
associate that with somebody going through child labor. I know
that's not the case, but explain what an epidural is.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Sure, the epidural space is a space EPI means above
the dura, which is the nerve coverings. So essentially you're
just inserting a needle into that space and obviously don't
want to go into the nerves, but right above them,
and you're going to either inject some numbing medicine such
as lytokine or additionally, which is what they would use,
(04:18):
or a longer acting lightokane, which was what they would
use to allow you to undergo childbirth. But they probably
wouldn't do that. They would probably inject some anti inflammat
or a medicine into that region, or steroid. For example.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
I want to ask you about Carson Spiers, who's on
the Ange list now with a right shoulder impingement. He's
a right handed pitcher. He pitched in the Reds game
on Saturday and said he felt something before the season
started and it kind of came to a head. I
guess during that ninety four pitch outing on Saturday afternoon.
I feel like the term impingement is not something I
heard about four or five years ago. Maybe I'm just
(04:51):
paying closer attention. So let's start there. What's an impingement
and what are the symptoms?
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Sure? Yeah, So the shoulder has the shoulder blade, as
you know, it has a bony projection over the top
called the achromium process that protects the shoulder. You've heard
of like an ac sprain right for example. That's where
the achromium goes up against the cea, the clavicle or
the collarbone, and there's a joint there. Well, that joint
(05:19):
can get inflamed and the undersurface of that so there's
a roof. Underneath the roof is the moving parts, the
rotator cuff. So when you elevate your arm above your
head like you do when you're going to throw a pitch,
you will have some inevitable pinching or bumping up of
(05:40):
the rotator cuff against that achromium process, and that is
the term we use, is impingement or a pinch so
to speak. Now, many people can do that repetitively and
lift their arms up over their head without a problem.
But if you start developing some inflammation again or versidis
or maybe a small partial care or something that's aggravating
(06:03):
a bone spur or something aggravating that area, you can
think of it like a little rock in your shoe,
you know, And that's essentially what's going on in the shoulder,
is there's just a little nightice of inflammation or pinching there,
and so they're going to probably try to treat that
with some rest, maybe some physical therapy. Potentially a quarterisone.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Injection realistic that he should be able to return within
just a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Could be although you know, pitching is a very high
demand activity that you're asking the shoulder to perform, and
so you know, it's like if you got a rock
in your shoe, you know, can you run a marathon
next week? Well, if you get the rock out, you
probably can, you know. But if they're not able to
get that inflammation down it could persist longer. I sure
(06:50):
wouldn't want to run the pig with a rock in
my shoe.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I don't want to run the pig at all, but
specifically with the rock and show, no question about it.
Doctor Matthew Grunkenbire from orthosins incredible insight as always, Thank
you so much.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, no problem, have a great day.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Okay, there you go. Doctor Matthew Gunkemeyer from Ortho Sincy.
We say this every single week because it's true. The
great thing about Ortho Sincy is they have specialists in
locations all over the Tri State, including walk in orthopedic
urgent care during the week from nine a m. To
nine pm and on Saturdays from nine am to one
pm at both Edgewood and Anderson. It's easy because you
(07:27):
don't need an appointment and it's definitely cheaper than going
to an er. Whenever you have an urgent orthopedic injury,
check out Orthosincy dot com. That's Orthos c I Ncy
dot com.
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