Crosby back in Pittsburgh, date with team specialist next

[BlackNGoldRules]

Crosby back in Pittsburgh, date with team specialist next

Joe Yerdon

Jan 28, 2012, 2:54 PM EST

Sidney Crosby‘s trip to California to be checked out by a neurological spine doctor is over with and he’s back in Pittsburgh where he’ll continue skating in hopes of getting back to game action. There, Crosby will meet with the Penguins’ concussion specialist to see just how he’s doing.

Penguins GM Ray Shero provided the update on Crosby and where he’s at and, as always, hope springs eternal for the Pens.

“Hopefully we’ll see next week where he is. We’ll get the reports from California and compare those to what has been done so far. With Sidney, we want to continue to look to see how we can get this under control and manageable and get him to play. Like I said before, he’s not going to (play) until the symptoms subside. Hopefully, we’ll have him back at some point soon.”

Crosby was doing his part skating while in California and should those reports turn out well for Sid The Kid, the optimism of seeing Crosby return before the end of the regular season will grow.

The Penguins have managed well without him thanks to the play of Evgeni Malkin who is putting in an MVP-like season. If Crosby does return in time for the playoffs, dealing with the Penguins with both Malkin and Crosby could turn into a nightmare for the Eastern Conference.

[DCBILL]

Praying for "the Kid" and for more than him being able to play hockey, again.

[Kipper]

The first thing i thought this weekend when I heard about all of this news is how embarrassing for the city of Pittsburgh and it's doctors. Sid had to go out of the city, out of the state on his own to seek out other opinions and the result was that he had an issue that none of the Pittsburgh doctors detected. for a city reinventing itself in the medical field, it failed tremendously with an athlete whose injury has gained a lot of national exposure

[Kipper]

Crosby has neck injury
It is not a threat to career, though
Sunday, January 29, 2012
By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

OTTAWA -- Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby was diagnosed with a neck injury in the past several days while seeing a specialist in California. That was in addition to his concussion problems.

It seems this is not a career-threatening situation, and there are indications he could play again this season or in the playoffs if his concussion symptoms are resolved. Crosby, however, is seeking the opinion of one or more additional specialists, who will review recent test findings related to his neck and make recommendations. That could happen in the next two or three days.

"The good news is that Sidney is safe, doing well," Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, said Saturday night at Scotiabank Place after the NHL All-Star skills challenge.

"What they found, we want to make sure it's accurate. This week, we're probably going to know more."
Brisson said Crosby underwent an MRI and CAT scan. He added that Crosby's spine "is fine."

The Penguins released this statement:

"The diagnosis of Dr. Robert S. Bray, a neurological spine specialist based in Los Angeles, is that Sidney Crosby had suffered a neck injury in addition to a concussion. Dr. Bray reports that the neck injury is fully healed. Those findings will be evaluated by independent specialists over the next few days. The most important goal all along has been Sidney's return to full health, and we are encouraged that progress continues to be made."

It is not clear why the neck injury was not detected earlier. And it also is not clear if it was a fracture or some other type of injury.

"It's a complicated injury," Brisson said. "I feel good [about] the fact that he feels better. I'm moving forward more than moving backward. Early next week, we'll find out a little bit more. I just don't want to speculate."
Asked if Crosby is upset that the neck injury was not diagnosed earlier, Brisson said, "I haven't heard that from him."
Brisson, based in Los Angeles, said Crosby was in good spirits the past week while there seeing Bray, skating and working out.

Before he made trips to see chiropractic specialist Ted Carrick in Atlanta and Bray in California the past two weeks, Crosby also made an unannounced trip to Utah to see Alex Guerrero. Brisson called Guerrero a therapist who has worked with football and hockey players. He is often referred to as a trainer for New England quarterback Tom Brady.

Crosby has been out since Dec. 5 with what he identified as concussion symptoms related to motion and balance. He missed nearly 11 months because of a concussion before making an eight-game comeback.

He originally was diagnosed with a concussion Jan. 6, 2011. He took a hard hit New Year's Day from David Steckel, then of Washington, in the 2011 Winter Classic. Crosby's head swung violently as he did a revolution in the air parallel to the ice. Crosby said then and subsequently that his lone symptom was a sore neck.

He took another hit to the head four nights later from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. He has said he felt off in that game, even before the Hedman hit. He traveled to Montreal after that game, but returned home the next day when he did not feel better. Then, he was diagnosed with a concussion.

It has not been determined whether one or both of those hits caused the neck injury or if it stemmed from something else. Brisson made it clear that regardless of the neck injury, Crosby had a concussion.

After his latest setback, Crosby began skating Jan. 13 and did so again Saturday. Brisson also said Crosby remains hopeful he will play again soon.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12029...#ixzz1kx4uqgEo

[Kipper]

Pittsburgh and Penguins medical staff and doctor FAIL

[vandelay industries]

It happens often enough where, listening to mechanism of injury and subjective symptoms, that a doc focuses on, and does testing for, a very specific diagnosis. In this case, it was a concussion. Possibly in their complete and total focus on that, they missed the testing for and diagnosis of this other injury.

In differential diagnosis, it's often wise to eliminate conditions just as much as finding what you think it is.

[Kipper]

It happens often enough where, listening to mechanism of injury and subjective symptoms, that a doc focuses on, and does testing for, a very specific diagnosis. In this case, it was a concussion. Possibly in their complete and total focus on that, they missed the testing for and diagnosis of this other injury.

In differential diagnosis, it's often wise to eliminate conditions just as much as finding what you think it is.

But shouldn't they be testing the spine with concussion injuries? Shouldn't they have looked over full catscans? I always that that the head and neck (upper back area as well) are places that are generally tested with severe cases of concussions. Why would one limit something to just the head when it's always much more than the head that receives the impact. When it comes to concussions, it usually always extends to the next and back area because of the whiplash involved, right? On top of that, Crosby has been dealing with symptoms for a long time, at some point the doctors don't dig a little deeper?

It just looks like to me that the Pens medical staff and the specialist(s) he saw in Pittsburgh completely dropped the ball in their testing.

[vandelay industries]

But shouldn't they be testing the spine with concussion injuries? Shouldn't they have looked over full catscans? I always that that the head and neck (upper back area as well) are places that are generally tested with severe cases of concussions. Why would one limit something to just the head when it's always much more than the head that receives the impact. When it comes to concussions, it usually always extends to the next and back area because of the whiplash involved, right? On top of that, Crosby has been dealing with symptoms for a long time, at some point the doctors don't dig a little deeper?

It just looks like to me that the Pens medical staff and the specialist(s) he saw in Pittsburgh completely dropped the ball in their testing.

Yes, I'd like to think that they should be looking at the neck, especially the upper cervical area, when there's a concussion diagnosis. Issues with C1/C2 can have an impact on some motor functions when it comes to balance etc.

Like I said, it just looks to me, and this is obviously without any benefit of looking at records etc, like they were so deadset on concussion and concussion alone, that they failed to look to see if there were any other injuries anywhere else that were inhibiting recovery until it got very late into it.

Is it negligence or not?

[Kipper]

Yes, I'd like to think that they should be looking at the neck, especially the upper cervical area, when there's a concussion diagnosis. Issues with C1/C2 can have an impact on some motor functions when it comes to balance etc.

Like I said, it just looks to me, and this is obviously without any benefit of looking at records etc, like they were so deadset on concussion and concussion alone, that they failed to look to see if there were any other injuries anywhere else that were inhibiting recovery until it got very late into it.

Is it negligence or not?

I think it's complete negligence. they're so worried about allowing Sid to do anything from physical contact during practice to even skating that they should've run every extensive test possible. How can you show the type opf "cpncern" that they have with Sid, see how long it's taking him to overcome concussion symptoms and not have looked at every possible scenerio that is related to a concussion? Like you said, they were hell bent on it being a concussion which is fine except that with a concussion comes a number of other issues related that should've been looked at as well..... and they weren't. I just can't see how it's not negligence when everything that could be related to a concussion wasn't evaluated.

On the news they said that Sidney Crosby, his people and family are pretty ****ed and I don't blame them one bit. We're talking about more than a full year where he's played just 8 games and has been told to just "sit it out" when he could've possibly had this dealt with more as a finality by now

[(419)BlackNGold]

My favorite part....

Those findings (Dr. Bray's) will be evaluated by independent specialists over the next few days.

Apparently the Penguins medical staff is suspicious of the "spine experts" findings. Best to have an "independent" specialist review the findings... as if Dr Bray worked for the anti-Crosby coalision and was making up reasons to keep Sid benched!

Funny how the Penguins are finding "independent" experts now. What took so long?

[Palmetto Steel]

Crosby might have visited California, but he also went to Utah... If all of this was already mentioned, I apologize... But watch the vid further down in the post....

Tom Brady's medical advice to Sidney Crosby pays off
By Simon Samano NFL.com
Published: Jan. 29, 2012

Even if you're not the most ardent hockey fan, you surely know that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is like the second coming of Mario Lemieux. That should provide the proper context to the magnitude of Crosby's seemingly endless battle with concussions that very well could jeopardize his career.

In a twist to the story, Crosby is dealing with something far more serious -- an "abnormality" with his C1 and C2 vertebrae, according to a report by Sportsnet 590. For the record, the C1 and C2 vertebrae are the bones at the top of the spine that protect the spinal cord.

Now, why would football fans care about this? Well, according to the report, Crosby discovered this neck injury after seeing a specialist in Utah on the advice of none other than ...

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (go figure).

It turns out that Brady and Crosby are friends, which apparently is news to everybody. Looks like Brady decided to give his buddy Crosby some medical advice that maybe, just maybe, could lead to a breakthrough in his recovery.

They don't call him Tom Terrific for nothing, you know.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8266ad74/article/tom-bradys-medical-advice-to-sidney-crosby-pays-off

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This vid is worth waiting thru the advertisement in the beginning, as it it pretty decent in coverage...


Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is dealing with something more serious than a concussion.

On HOCKEY CENTRAL Saturday, Bob McCown of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reported that Crosby was concerned about the treatment he was receiving in Pittsburgh, so he saw a specialist in Utah where an MRI indicated that there was an abnormality with Crosby's C1 and C2 vertebrae.

The Prime Time Sports host said he learned of the news on Wednesday and said there were two unnamed sources close to the situation that he was in contact with.

Crosby went to the Utah doctor on the recommendation of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who is Crosby's friend.

The 24-year-old is scheduled to meet with his team of doctors this week to examine how well he is recovering from his concussion-like symptoms, according to the team's general manager Ray Shero.

"We'll see, hopefully, next week where he is (after) we get the reports from California," Shero told media following the Board of Governors meeting during All-Star Weekend in Ottawa. "The thing with Sidney is we want to continue to look to see how we can get this under control and manageable ... hopefully we'll have him back here at some point soon."

Crosby has traveled to California and Atlanta in the past several weeks where he met with a neurological spine surgeon and a chiropractor who specializes in neurological treatment.

Sportsnet's Louis Jean spoke to Crosby's agent Pat Brisson who said: "The neck injury was reported by doctor Robert Bray in L.A. this week. We will seek confirmation from a third doctor in the next 24-48 hours based on the cat scans and MRI results."

Bray said in a brief statement released Saturday that Crosby's injury is fully healed and that his findings will be evaluated by independent specialists.

The statement did not provide further details on the nature of the injury.

The Penguins insist they will not reinsert Crosby into the lineup until he is 100 per cent healthy and there is no timetable for his return.

Crosby was first diagnosed with a concussion on Jan. 5 of last year and was out of action for 11 months. Crosby returned to the Penguins lineup in late November where he played eight games, recording two goals and 10 assists, but hasn't suited up since Dec. 5.

The C1 and C2 vertebrae are the vertebral bones at the top of a person's spine that protect the spinal cord. The C1 is the spinal bone attached to a person's skull and the C2 is located right below it. These two vertebrae are shaped differently than the rest of a person's spine because they are largely what allows the head to rotate.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/01/28/crosby_update_vertebrae_injury_concussion/

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From wiki.........

Special cervical vertebrae (C1, C2,)

C1 or atlas: The Atlas is the topmost vertebra, and – along with C2 – forms the joint connecting the skull and spine. Its chief peculiarity is that it has no body, and this is due to the fact that the body of the atlas has fused with that of the next vertebra.

C2 or axis: It forms the pivot upon which C1 rotates. The most distinctive characteristic of this bone is the strong odontoid process (dens) that rises perpendicularly from the upper surface of the body. The body is deeper in front than behind, and prolonged downward anteriorly so as to overlap the upper and front part of the third vertebra.

[(419)BlackNGold]

I knew that Tom Brady wasn't "all" evil! After all, he is a Michigan man!

[Kipper]

How ironic...

1. Who knew that Sidney Crosby and Tom Brady were close friends? I'm still trying to figure out that connection..

2. That every Pens fan is going to have to have a sift spot for Tom Brady from this day forward for possibly being the guy that saved Sidney Crosby's career...

Actually Not just Tom Brady but this couple

[Kipper]

My favorite part....





Apparently the Penguins medical staff is suspicious of the "spine experts" findings. Best to have an "independent" specialist review the findings... as if Dr Bray worked for the anti-Crosby coalision and was making up reasons to keep Sid benched!

Funny how the Penguins are finding "independent" experts now. What took so long?

After all of this, the first thing that the Pittsburgh Penguins need to do is fire their entire Medical Staff... ok, that might be extreme, but fire the ones that were involved with this. Next, start pointing fingers and asking questions about Dr. Collins, UPMC "leading" concussion expert couldn't pick up something that was simple enough for Giselle Bundchen and Tom Brady to figure out

[exNCite]

I'm certainly not a Dr. but first thing I ask myself, even if they had discovered the neck injury earlier, what would the recommended treatment been? Seeing that the injury is now "fully healed", I'm not so sure that rest wouldn't have been recommended anyway. I think you guys are being a little harsh on the medical staff.