Episode XXIV: A Painful Predicament
The cycle of pain began about a month ago when a friend asked me to fill in for a missing player on his softball team, and I happily obliged. I played second base, and there was a play where the opposing batter tried stretch for a double: I easily tagged him out, but he slid hard, and his cleat went straight into my left shin (I was wearing shorts). A bruise developed immediately.
The following inning I myself was required to slide into second, which I accomplished successfully. Unfortunately, as I was still wearing shorts, I created a very nice scrape right on top of the fairly substantial bruise.
Then just last Tuesday the same friend calls me up and asks me if I will substitute for a missing player on his softball team, and I happily oblige. Near the end of the game, I single, but the first-base coach insists that I go for two. I have built up a good deal of speed, I am once again wearing shorts, and the throw is on-time, so I have to slide out of the way. My shin not only gets scraped up, but also a kind of rash, like a rug-burn except with sand instead of rug. To add insult to injury, the second-baseman tries to tag me late and slaps me in the face with his glove, sending my sunglasses flying.
So now I have a large scrape all up my leg, on top of a sand-burn, which is on top of a previous scab, which lies in turn on a previous bruise. The next day a friend calls me up and asks me to substitute for his missing partner in a sand volleyball game, and I happily oblige. The sun burns my shin, and sand gets inside the scab. When I wash it away, it reopens the wound a bit.
And if you are not feeling sorry for me yet, let me tell you that later that day the same guy calls me up and asks if I want to help him extract honey from some honeycombs, and of course I say yes. I am promptly stung by a bee on my left ear. My ear gets really red, and about 50% too big, and I get a bit woozy.
It is, indeed, a hard-knock life.
Comments
Maybe you should say "no" once in a while!! It does sound like you're having fun though and keeping busy. By the way, our dog also got stung by a bee over the weekend and had a terrible allergic reaction. She had to go on Prednisone, so we feel for you. Hope your wounds heal soon!
- Benjamin Franklin
Studies of recreational softball injuries have found that base sliding is responsible for 35% to 71% of injuries occurring during play, including abrasions, sprains, ligament strains, and fractures [3,4]. These injuries are caused by the impact of rapid deceleration against stationary bases. Methods suggested to reduce base-sliding injuries have included prohibiting sliding, offering better instruction on sliding techniques, using recessed bases, and using quick-release bases [4,5]. Prohibiting base sliding would be effective but might be met with resistance from some fans and participants. Holding instructional clinics on proper sliding techniques is a possibility for school-related organizations; however, this method might be impractical for community-based teams.
-Reported by:DH Janda, MD, EM Wojtys, MD, FM Hankin, MD, ME Benedict, MA, Univ of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Epidemiology Br, Div of Injury Epidemiology and Control, Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, CDC.
1: Stop doing favors for your friend, at least softball-related. Or at least until your battle scars heal.
2: Stop wearing shorts; wear pants or steel plates over your legs
I'd make up a third but something tells me it'd just be stupid...then again, most things I say are stupid. Cool!
Why do you keep saying yes? Aren't there other guys qualified to play softball? You should take a break before you LOSE the leg!!
Wish we could be out there for the meeting to see you in person...I'm glad you will get to see all the others. They, I'm sure, will be good medicine!
FYI-pants don't make a huge difference. If you slide there is still friction and the wound opens right back up.
I find it difficult to say "no" to fun things like sports and stuff, so that's probably not going to solve the problem.
Regarding Craig's post, I am sure glad that the CDC is diligently reporting on softball sliding injuries. Keep America safe!