Update on Chase Utley’s Surgery
by Bill Baer on November 25th, 2008Posted in MLB, Media, Philadelphia Phillies | Print | No Comments »
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley had surgery on his right hip yesterday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Utley had an arthroscopic debridement of his labrum and a bony lesion that was present. Dr. Kelly reported the surgery went well and the findings yesterday were consistent with the diagnostic studies performed prior to surgery. It is anticipated that he will have a four- to six-month recovery period as previously described.
Just so you don’t have to grab that medical dictionary, here are the definitions of those those big words:
- Debridement: the removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue.
- Bone lesion: abnormality of bone tissue.
Utley’s surgery went well and none of the procedures caused any setbacks. To quote Lauber again:
According to the good doctor, a debridement consists of little more than “trimming” the labrum, the best-case scenario for Utley. Based on the Phillies’ description of the procedure, and without knowing Utley’s speed of recovery (we’re guessing it’s pretty good), Kalman said it sounds “pretty reasonable” that Utley could be ready by Opening Day.
We hope Utley is ready by Opening Day, but even if he is, given the Phillies’ easy April schedule, letting him take it easy for another month (playing him lightly) would be an optimal strategy. In April, the Phils play just two teams (vs. Milwaukee and @ Florida) who had a winning record in 2008. They play the Braves, Rockies, and Padres three times and the Nationals six times. May opens with three at home against the Mets.
