If anybody wondered how Skubals return timeline dropped from several months to mere weeks it’s due to a new procedure that the surgeon who performed the surgery coined “The Skubal Scope”.
I guess it will be like Tommy John, and now every time someone gets this procedure we will hear “he had the Skubal Scope”.
“Dr. Neal ElAttrache described essentially that he had — there’s new technology where a needle-sized device, he can manipulate it where it doesn’t in any way — he can put the scope in, and has a camera on the end of it that gives him a 120 degree look at everything,” Boras said.
“Where he can be precise about where the bone chip was, and he could do this in a way that would not interrupt the tissue as a normal arthroscope would”
So they say that the chip was the size of a Lima bean?
That’s not very small in fact if you had something the size of that floating around in your joint that would hurt like freaking hell
Also it’s a nanoscope? Make the size of a nanoscope makes sense to me in the context of removing a Lima bean…. Maybe they’re dealing with it the same way they do some kidney stones where they’re using sound waves to crush it up and then suck it out.
The big factor will be how does he look when he comes back this summer. If he still looks like the 99 mph Cy Young version, then he’s hitting the lotto in free agency. If he comes back and the velo is down or struggles a bit, the chances of him returning to Detroit probably does increase IMO
Post the link later as having difficulty with it at the moment. Simple way to put it, not as invasive can maneuver around tissue.
But the procedure:
“He can put the scope in and it has a camera at the end of it that gives him a 120-degree look at everything where he can be precise about where the bone chip was, and he could do this in a way that would not interrupt the tissue as a normal arthroscope would,” Boras said.
“[Dr. ElAttrache] essentially went in and was able to see the particle, extract it, and in effect the consequence was that it was like Tarik had an injection, because the needle is so small.”
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Boras also said the new procedure would positively impact pitchers across baseball, especially those who could potentially avoid more invasive arm surgeries.
“We’re going to be able to use this procedure to determine shoulders, elbows, where the doctors can see precisely what the state of a tendon or a ligament or the rotator cuff is without in any way causing dramatic invasion of the shoulder or elbow,” he said.
Though Boras is not a doctor, others medical professionals have shared similar optimism about Skubal’s recovery. Dr. Shahryar Ahmadi, a California-based orthopedic surgeon, told the Free Press there is a good chance Skubal’s recovery could be “very, very quick” as long as the elbow doesn’t suffer from major signs of arthritis or stiffness.
“If there is extensive arthritis, lots of loose bodies, instability, stiffness, that makes it more complicated with a longer recovery – and less chance of going back to the previous level of playing," Ahmadi said.
The issue with Skubal for the Tigers is that they can not afford to miss on these big money deals. If they give him a pile of cash and he is injured the Tigers become hand cuffed to do much until Skubal either gets back to form or the contract expires. Meanwhile teams like the Yankees can withstand the miss financially and still try to replace the player.