Soreness

The Washington Bullets will have to wait a day before they find out the test results on Chris Webber and Mark Price, both of whom underwent MRI exams on Saturday.Webber, complaining of soreness in his left shoulder, has missed the past three games and has hinted he might have season-ending surgery. Price has missed the past two games with soreness on the left side of his foot that's unrelated to his surgery to release the plantar fascia tendon and remove bone spurs.The team was expecting to learn the findings of the MRI tests yesterday, but doctors were not expected to read the results until late and planned to sit down with both players this morning to discuss the options.

Q: I am expecting my first baby and I want to breast-feed. My friend who has a baby had sore nipples when she tried to breast-feed. Should I be doing something to toughen my nipples now?A: No. Though pinching, exposing or abrading the nipples during the late stages of pregnancy might at one time have been recommended as a way to "toughen up" for breast-feeding, they are of no value. In fact, they may cause soreness rather than prevent it.The most important way to avoid nipple soreness is be certain your feeding technique is just right once the baby is born.

&TC Ben McDonald's recovery from tendinitis in his pitching shoulder has taken a step backward.McDonald, who was placed on the disabled list July 25, postponed throwing in a simulated game yesterday because he experienced soreness in his shoulder on Tuesday.His rehabilitation assignment at Rochester, where he was scheduled to start Monday, also has been pushed back.It appears now that McDonald will not be back before September."There's no set timetable in these types of things. They told me that from the beginning," said McDonald, who rushed back from the disabled list after one week earlier this season and suffered a recurrence of the tendinitis.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Boston Red Sox ace Roger Clemens has been scratched from his Opening Day pitching assignment against the Minnesota Twins next Wednesday because of soreness behind his right shoulder, but he said yesterday that he is confident the injury is not season-threatening.Clemens worked out for 10 minutes yesterday and said there has been significant improvement since shoulder tendinitis forced him to suspend his normal throwing schedule last week and sent a shiver through the Red Sox organization.

Maturing as a major-league ballplayer involved more than learning how to pitch, experience has told Ben McDonald.It also entailed knowing when not to pitch."

Maturing as a major-league ballplayer involved more than learning how to pitch, experience has told Ben McDonald.It also entailed knowing when not to pitch."

Q: My daughter is now 4, and since she was 18 months old she has had pain in her vagina. Her doctor said it is probably yeast infections.Could it be anything else? What can be done to help reduce the pain and the recurrence?A: Your question presents a puzzle difficult to put together without more information. We can only work with the clues provided by your description and your doctor's reaction.We're not certain your daughter is having vaginal pain, especially beginning at 18 months. We believe the answer lies in thinking about what can cause irritation to the vagina or vulva.

Q: I have a skin problem I can't seem to solve. My skin feels sore until I moisturize, yet all along my jaw line and a little way down my neck, I break out. Sometimes, throughout the day, my skin along the sides of my nose and on my cheeks becomes sore and at times itches. Why does my skin do these things? I use Cetaphil Lotion, 3 percent hydrogen peroxide on blemishes, Neutrogena SPF 15 and Clinique's Stay True Foundation, and Victoria Jackson blush.-- LisaA: It sounds to me as if you are doing everything right.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Larry Stewart's return from a broken right foot was not going according to plan. The Washington Bullets forward returned Dec. 9, but minutes were few and far between.Yesterday, the news got worse. One day after flying home from Los Angeles because of soreness in the foot, Stewart discovered that he had broken it again, and that he will again require surgery, which will take place after the holidays.The former Coppin State star first broke the foot on Aug. 18, during a summer-league game in Philadelphia.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Larry Stewart's return from a broken right foot was not going according to plan. The Washington Bullets forward returned Dec. 9, but minutes were few and far between.Yesterday, the news got worse. One day after flying home from Los Angeles because of soreness in the foot, Stewart discovered that he had broken it again, and that he will again require surgery, which will take place after the holidays.RTC The former Coppin State star first broke the foot on Aug. 18, during a summer-league game in Philadelphia.

Orioles pitcher Koji Uehara could be sidelined until September after an arthrogram revealed that his lingering elbow soreness is the result of a partially torn flexor tendon. Manager Dave Trembley announced Wednesday morning that Uehara will be shut down for up to five weeks, then embark on a throwing program that could extend his absence to eight weeks or more. It's possible Uehara won't return this season. "Koji is going to be out for a while," Trembley said. "He has a partial tear in his elbow and will rest for three to five weeks.

The Orioles placed prized left-hander Adam Loewen on the 15-day disabled list yesterday, and I'm guessing everybody is thinking pretty much the same thing I am right now: "I knew there had to be something physically wrong with him." We all suspected it, and there was plenty of evidence, but the kid is a gamer and he told us he was OK and we believed him instead of our eyes. There wasn't much else to do. His velocity was OK, so it was easy enough to chalk up his control problems to the normal post-injury process during which the injured appendage gets gradually stronger and the injured pitcher gradually regains confidence in his ability to do the same things he did before he got hurt.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Orioles left-hander Adam Loewen will likely be scratched from tomorrow's start because of discomfort in his left shoulder. Loewen, who is nine months removed from elbow surgery, participated in pitcher fielding drills yesterday at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, but he either threw the ball underhand to second base or flipped it with his right hand. Club officials are hopeful the problem is nothing more than mild tendinitis. "Nobody is too concerned," Orioles president Andy MacPhail said.

Rather than becoming a solution to the Orioles' pitching crisis, Hayden Penn continues to be a health issue. Viewing the decision as a precautionary measure, the Orioles placed Penn on the seven-day minor league disabled list yesterday and scratched him from last night's start at Triple-A Norfolk because of soreness in his right forearm. "We backdated it, and we still think he could pitch five days from now," said Dave Stockstill, director of minor league operations. Team orthopedist Dr. Andrew Cosgarea most likely will examine Penn this weekend in Baltimore to make sure the problem isn't more serious.

JUPITER, FLA. -- Two weeks into his rehabilitation program, Orioles pitcher Kris Benson is experiencing an increase in soreness that could accelerate his decision to undergo surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff. Benson had indicated he would wait a month before re-evaluating his shoulder, bringing him to the halfway point yesterday. Though he has been able to strengthen the muscles around the tear, the recurring pain has rekindled his original concerns. "I had a rough couple days," he said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Orioles sent Kris Benson back to Baltimore yesterday to have his right elbow examined after the starting pitcher complained of soreness in his pitching arm after his start on Tuesday night. Benson is scheduled to see team doctor Andy Cosgarea today, leaving his status to make his next start, Sunday at Camden Yards against the Chicago White Sox, in doubt. "He's been managing [the elbow] for a couple of months," Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said. "We got him in Baltimore as a precautionary measure, just to make sure it's nothing more than a little inflammation.

The Orioles today placed pitcher Eric DuBose on the 15-day disabled list with left elbow soreness and recalled Tim Raines Jr. from Triple-A Ottawa. DuBose was examined in Denver this morning and will undergo further examination when the team retruns to Baltimore. Raines was batting .259 at Ottawa. This is his third stint with the Orioles this season. He was optioned to Ottawa on Monday when the Orioles activated OF Jay Gibbons. He is 2-for-7 in 8 games with the Orioles this year. June 20, 2004, 2:38 PM EDT

How can I rake leaves without getting so sore? The truth is, by the time your body registers an achy back or tender wrist, it's probably too late. Prevent soreness by following these four basic rules (for FALL): * Frequent breaks: take them. No one said you have to finish the entire yard in an hour. * Avoid repetitive movements. Alternate sides and switch raking patterns. * Lift bagged leaves carefully. Bend knees slightly to avoid straining your back, and use a wheelbarrow to transport filled bags.

Offensive lineman Casey Rabach wants to be a starter, no matter where it is. Rabach, the top backup at center and both guard positions last year, said he has little else to prove in that realm. "My main goal is to establish myself as a starter," said Rabach, the Ravens' 2001 third-round draft choice. "Who knows where it will be? But weird things can happen, with injuries. I'm looking at it as this is my season for a breakout." Rabach did not play as a rookie but started five games last season, subbing for left guard Edwin Mulitalo and center Mike Flynn.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Orioles reliever John Bale, trying to make the 25-man roster as a third left-hander in the bullpen, will have a magnetic resonance imaging test today to determine the cause of elbow soreness that has kept him from pitching the past four days. Bale was examined yesterday at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, where doctors performed an arthrogram. Dye was injected into the elbow to detect a possible fracture or bone fragments. "Everything was normal. I think it's just some inflammation," said Bale, 27, who had surgery after the 2001 season to remove a band of tissue in the elbow that was causing discomfort and limiting his appearances with the Orioles.