Tendon

From the pickup basketball player to the motivated marathoner, all who exercise can suffer the agony of the feet. Here are the most common injuries: Plantar fasciitis Any activity that involves jumping, plus sudden stops and starts, can lead to plantar fasciitis. This overstretching of the ligament that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot, straight through the arch, affects about 14 percent of men and women ages 18 to 60, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association.

COLLEGE PARK -- Obinna Ekezie wants to make a splash in the NBA draft in June.First, he must jump in the pool. For Ekezie, who was Maryland's center, the swim he takes three or four times a week in the Campus Recreation Center is far more than a dip. It's therapy to strengthen his right foot and the Achilles' tendon he ruptured at practice Feb. 11.The injury abruptly ended the senior's college basketball career and assured that he'd spend the months preceding...

It has been 34 days since they put an extension on the operating table at Kernan Hospital in Baltimore. The patient: Obinna Ekezie, the 6-foot-10 basketball center for the University of Maryland.Upright, Ekezie engaged opponents on the court. Prone, he challenged surgeons who repaired the ruptured Achilles' tendon that ended the 23-year-old's college career last month.How bad was Ekezie's injury?"It looked like a rope that had been pulled apart in a tug-of-war," said Dr. Leigh Ann Curl, the Terrapins' team physician, who performed the operation.

On the field: Catcher Lenny Webster had a rough second inning. He permitted Craig Counsell's first career stolen base, then was struck on the left knee by a foul tip from Florida's Al Leiter. Webster lay face-down in the batter's box while trainer Richie Bancells attended to him. Webster stayed in the game, adding his knee to the list of ailments that includes his left shoulder and Achilles' tendon.In the dugout: Manager Davey Johnson gave Chris Hoiles the night off to rest a sore right Achilles' tendon, saying he needs the catcher to be ready for the series in New York.

Athletics: Oakland has not reached double figures in hits since July 23, a span of 12 games.Brewers: Milwaukee has won every season series against Oakland since 1990.Padres: Six-time batting champion Tony Gwynn, who has missed more than a month with a slightly torn right Achilles' tendon, may return this week.Pub Date: 8/06/96

Angels: Reliever Lee Smith was placed on the 15-day disabled list with swelling of the right knee. Fluid was drained from Smith's knee during an exam yesterday. Smith, 38, underwent surgery Nov. 12 to repair a ruptured tendon suffered when he slipped during a hunting trip.Pub Date: 4/05/96

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- A tendon injury discovered in the left front leg of Afternoon Deelites has put the colt's racing future in doubt, trainer Richard Mandella said.Unbeaten in his first five starts before being beaten a head by Larry The Legend in the Santa Anita Derby, Afternoon Deelites suffered the injury while finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby on May 6. He also came out of the race with a throat infection.Mandella informed owner Burt Bacharach, who is in Europe, of the problem via telephone yesterday.

NEW YORK -- Lawrence Taylor could begin playing golf in about three months and do some light running in about four after undergoing surgery yesterday to repair his ruptured right Achilles' tendon.The surgery conducted by Giants team physician Russell F. Warren lasted an hour and 15 minutes at the Hospital for Special Surgery-Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan.Warren sewed a tear in the tendon, which occurred about an inch and a quarter above the heel. Taylor, 33, was expected to remain in the hospital last night.

Barry came to me recently complaining he'd experienced dizziness upon standing up quickly after a workout. He couldn't understand how this could happen; he is a well-conditioned, healthy athlete.Since his cardiogram and physical examination were normal, his diagnosis was orthostatic hypotension, or low blood pressure occurring as you stand up from a sitting position. Although the condition can be alarming, it is usually harmless. Surprisingly, being in good physical condition increases your chance of developing orthostatic hypotension.

Milligan named AL Player of the WeekFirst baseman Randy Milligan was named American League Player of the Week for the first time in his career, thanks to a six-game performance in which he batted .481.Milligan also hit three homers and had 10 RBI, driving in at least one run in each of the six games last week to become the first Oriole to win the award since Mike Devereaux last July 22-29.Those statistics do not include his 4-for-4 performance in the second game of the June 24 doubleheader in Kansas City, which helped bring him into last night's game on a 17-for-31 tear (.548)

The British Open has been over for a couple of days, and Tom Watson is probably home taking a blowtorch to his 8-iron, but I'm still sitting exactly in the same position I was when he overshot the green at 18 and came up just short of what would have been one of the most amazing feats in the history of professional sports. I'd like to say I'm still sitting here in front of the television in disbelief, waiting for one of the SportsCenter replays to show he actually made that 9-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the tournament.

From the pickup basketball player to the motivated marathoner, all who exercise can suffer the agony of the feet. Here are the most common injuries: Plantar fasciitis Any activity that involves jumping, plus sudden stops and starts, can lead to plantar fasciitis. This overstretching of the ligament that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot, straight through the arch, affects about 14 percent of men and women ages 18 to 60, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association.

While Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld recovers from surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, he can take solace in knowing that he has many fellow sufferers - among them sports pros, recreational athletes and weekend warriors. But if athletes (even occasional ones) play their cards right, surgery isn't always necessary. Depending on the severity of the damage, a person's age and level of activity, the injury can be treated with rehab and time and might not cause a permanent benching.

Late game: Last night's Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox ended too late to be included in this edition. A complete report can be found in later editions or on the Internet at www.baltimoresun.com. BOSTON - The blood on Curt Schilling's sock should have been a giveaway. But even if the New York Yankees or the rest of America had known about his surgical procedure on Tuesday, they would have been hard-pressed to believe it. One day before taking the mound for Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, Schilling had sutures sewn into his right ankle as a lastditch solution to fix a dislocated tendon.

BOSTON - The blood on Curt Schilling's sock should have been a giveaway. But even if the New York Yankees or the rest of America had known about his surgical procedure last Tuesday, they would have been hard-pressed to believe it. One day before taking the mound for Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, Schilling had sutures sewn into his right ankle as a last-ditch solution to fix a dislocated tendon. After hearing the details, the medical community was stunned. Boston Red Sox physician Dr. Bill Morgan had practiced the procedure on cadavers before performing it on Schilling.

NEW YORK - An ankle injury could prevent Curt Schilling from throwing another pitch this postseason, the Boston Red Sox announced yesterday, one day after Schilling was shelled in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. A tendon in Schilling's right ankle has torn away from the sheath that holds it in place, and the Red Sox were unsuccessful, they said, in their attempt to construct a brace for Game 1 that would hold that tendon in place. So Schilling's loose tendon was shifting from the front of his ankle to the back of his ankle on Tuesday night, as he gave up six runs in three innings in a 10-7 loss to the New York Yankees.

A magnetic resonance imaging on outfielder Marty Cordova's right elbow has revealed a torn flexor tendon, which most likely ends his career with the Orioles and would require another surgery if he wants to continue playing. Team physician Dr. Charles Silberstein will consult with Dr. Charles Yocum, who examined Cordova last week, but the injury has been identified. Cordova, 34, was shut down at extended spring training because of pain in the elbow area. He was swinging a bat as part of his rehabilitation from ligament-reconstructive surgery last year, but still couldn't play the outfield.

BOSTON - Surgeons successfully repaired a torn tendon in Sen. John Kerry's right shoulder yesterday, discharging the presumptive Democratic nominee to convalesce at home. Kerry tore the tendon connected to his right-shoulder muscle in January while bracing himself as his campaign bus suddenly stopped. In addition to that 3/4 -inch tear, surgeons also discovered a small tear in a right-biceps tendon. He was under general anesthesia in the 45-minute procedure. Emerging from sedation at Massachusetts General Hospital, Kerry quipped, "I hope I didn't reveal any state secrets," according to his surgeon.

GAITHERSBURG - The line between elation and despair is a rust-colored scar, the length and width of a ballpoint pen, that runs from Courtney Kupets' heel to her calf. In June, Kupets was on top as the 2003 U.S. all-around women's gymnastics champion. Now, the 17-year-old is pushing herself through the grind of rehabilitation, trying to prepare for the U.S. championships and Olympic trials in June. "I have plenty of time from my point of view," says Kupets, who sandwiches a full day of classes at Gaithersburg High School between grueling exercise and physical therapy sessions.

Wendell Thomas, who has coached boys lacrosse in Howard County for 26 years at Atholton and Howard, has stepped down as Howard's varsity boys coach to become the Lions varsity girls lacrosse assistant as he battles a difficult leg problem. His daughter, Carla, is a junior lacrosse player at Howard, and he wants to spend time with her team. "It's an emotional time for me right now," said Thomas, who has held a team meeting and told the boys. Thomas, a three-time All-American defenseman at Towson University, where he was a tri-captain on its 1974 national Division II/III championship team, has had a lot of emotions to deal with for the past five months.