Six injuries that ice and Motrin would have fixed, but no—you want a $4,000 MRI
You ever get hurt in the Army? You probably got told to ice it and take some Motrin. Was that the right answer? Duffel Blog asked expert medicos which injuries need ice and rest, and which ones need advanced imagery, surgery, or specialty care:
Plantar fasciitis—“This is the most run-of-the mill injury I could imagine,” says Army sports doctor Lt. Col. Katlyn Shegog. “I could have the best imagery in the world, and it would tell me to tell you to ice it and stretch.”
Tennis elbow—ring ring! The 80’s called. From a landline. They’re saying you don’t need an MRI. No one has gotten tennis elbow since the 80s, and the MRI hadn’t been invented then. Get an ice pack.
Runner’s Knee—“I know you are going to form your whole opinion of Army medicine based on this treatment,” Dr. Shegog says. “But absolutely, the answer is ice and rest. I’ll write you a prescription for Motrin to soothe your ego, but not a prescription for thousands of dollars worth of imagery just to give you attention.”
Achilles t…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Duffel Blog to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.