Alex Rodriguez is no longer making headlines about his January hip surgery. Instead, he’s in the spotlight for his involvement with sports-enhancing drugs. While allegations are still being debated, Rodriguez will not be showcasing his post-surgery capabilities this season due to his legal issues.
Whether Rodriguez returns to the field next season or not, doctor’s confirm his surgery to be a success. On January 16, 2013 A-Rod had arthroscopic surgery to repair his left hip. The procedure was to correct a torn labrum, bone impingement, and a cyst formation.
Fortunately, the surgery is quite common among athletes and Rodriguez was able to start rehabilitation almost immediately after the procedure. Dr. Bryan Kelly operated on the 37-year-old at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. When asked about recovery from the procedure, Kelly responded, “I like to tell people six months is reasonable time frame for return to play.”
Not only does arthroscopic surgery involve rehabilitation, but the Yankees helped Rodriguez with pre-habilitation exercises six weeks before the procedure. The muscles around the hip will become weakened after a hip injury such as the one A-Rod sustained. To optimize his condition in the months following the surgery, it is best that he, and other patients in the same situation, to build stronger muscle to recover faster. This pre-rehab involves low impact exercises and stretches, and cardio and core strengthening workouts.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, a medical team constructs a treatment plan that accurately and efficiently improves patients’ conditions. In an effort to better optimize the outcome after a surgery, the Southwest team will recommend pre-rehabilitation workouts much like the ones A-Rod exercised before the arthroscopy.
An arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure. For a surgery like Rodriguez’s, the surgeon will make three small incisions in the hip and insert a tiny camera to evaluate the underlying damage. The surgeon will reattach the torn labrum and sculpt the femoral head to be rounder for a greater range of motion. The labrum is an area of the hip socket that acts as a small seal. It acts as a suction cup to help with the stability and function of the ball and socket hip joint. When the labrum tears, the hip will experience atrophy and dysfunction.
Typically, specialists will consider conservative treatments before choosing surgery. Because Rodriguez’s performance was so affected by his injury, doctor’s had to take aggressive action. The amount of damage the cartilage has is usually dependent on recovery time, and in A-Rod’s case, whether he will ever play the same.
For more information about your options for hip surgery or therapy, contact a medical staff member at Southwest Spine and Pain today.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With three locations and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
©Southwest Spine and Pain Center, 2013
©Medical Marketing Solutions, 2013