Saturday, November 16, 2013

Pau Gasol Has Muscle Strain

Well, at least it's not his plantar fascia.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol revealed to reporters after Tuesday's 116-95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans that he has a muscle strain in his left foot. 
"I had a muscle strain there," Gasol said. "It's feeling better now. It's feeling a little better."
Gasol missed 20 games last year after sustaining a plantar fascia tear in his right foot and believes the two
injuries could be tied. 
"Now it's the left foot, maybe compensating," Gasol speculated. "Things like that happen... Hopefully we can keep it under control."
Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said before the game on Tuesday, "He's a big guy that takes a pounding, but he knows how to deal with it."
Gasol's foot has been bothering him since the end of training camp and the four-time All-Star was concerned there might be nerve damage in the foot. He underwent an MRI last week which showed the strain. 
He was reluctant to let on his foot was hurting him, saying, "It was sore a lot of times but I don't like to talk about things like that because they sound like an excuse. I don't like to make excuses when things go wrong."
Gasol recently recovered from a respiratory problem he had been dealing with since the beginning of the season. He had 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, with eight rebounds, three assists, and a block against New Orleans. So far on the season he is averaging 12.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists with 38.2 percent shooting.
"I definitely physically felt better," Gasol said of his respiratory issue. "I was able to put a better effort together. I was sharper. I would like to continue to shoot over 50 percent if I can. I felt good. It was a good game overall."
Gasol knows that he needs to be his healthiest right now, as the team is without Kobe Bryant (Achilles) and Steve Nash (back, hamstring). 
"I think Pau knows that he has to lead us," D'Antoni said. "He has to be the guy that dominates the game, more or less. We got to get him into position to be able to do that. Again, it's not just one guy, but he's the most talented guy we have on the team and he'll have to be our leader." 
Reference: ESPN
If you are a basketball player with a foot or ankle problem, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

No comments:

Post a Comment