Johnny Cueto, otherwise known as Killer Cueto, is going to miss a few starts at the beginning of the 2011 MLB baseball season due to shoulder inflammation.
Killer Cueto was last in the news for his high flying kicking style during a fight in St. Louis.
His pain started with the biceps and forearm then radiated into the shoulder. There is nothing wrong mechanically with his shoulder and Walt Jocketty says:
The only thing they found is mild inflammation in his shoulder. The recommendation of Dr. Kremchek is to shut him down until it subsides, then get him back on a throwing program.
What is shoulder inflammation? The shoulder is the joint connecting your arm to the torso. It is comprised of three bones, but what becomes inflamed are the tendons, ligaments and muscles. The inflammation is caused by a mild injury to one of those items, which can be a strain, sprain or over use.
How do you treat shoulder inflammation? With any inflammation the root cause is almost secondary to dealing with the actual swelling. You can reduce the swelling by applying an ice pack to the affected area. For shoulders I’ve found things like this to be highly effective:
Pro Series Ice Wrap – Shoulder
You should also take an anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen.
How long does it take to recover from shoulder inflammation?For Johnny it appears to be a week. For you, me and other recreational athletes a couple of days. Why the difference? In Johnny’s case the medical staff will want to ensure all inflammation is gone and no range of motion is lost. For you and I we have lower standards.