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Through four games, Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin is averaging just 16.3 points and shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, which are career lows. The Orange County Register reports Griffin is dealing with a burst bursa sac in his right elbow.

According to the newspaper, Griffin has this issue each season, but it has never been this bad. Griffin plans to play through the injury, even though it's painful.

Quake Griffin wrote:this doesn't require surgery?

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin will start Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs despite having a burst bursa sac in his right elbow and a neck strain, Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said Tuesday.

"His elbow is a concern," Del Negro said. "His neck is a concern but Blake is a tough kid. He'll fight through it and give us what he can give us."

Griffin played through a burst bursa sac the past two seasons, but the one he now has is the most painful he has endured, Del Negro said. Griffin, who wasn't made available to the media after Tuesday's practice, has been playing with a heavily taped right elbow.

The injury may help explain why Griffin is averaging 16.3 points on 45.1 percent shooting, below his career averages.

"It's a little bit worse," Del Negro said. "There's a little bit more swelling. He's had that for a long time but this time it seems to be a little more than normal. It affects everything when you have a bunch of fluid in your elbow. It's going to bother you but he's going to fight through it and give us what he can."

Griffin only participated in half of Tuesday's practice after getting hit on his neck, which he already had strained during Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"He hurt his neck a little bit last night," Del Negro said. "His neck has been stiff ... We'll see. There's no question, it's irritating him a little bit, but he's fighting through it right now."

Blake Griffin is playing with a burst burca sac in his right elbow, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. Griffin has experienced the issue before and expects to play through it, though he concedes it's "never this bad." If Griffin were forced to miss time, the Clippers do have a spare roster spot, and a certain ex-Clipper power forward is looking for work.

Bursa sacs are small, fluid-filled pouches located between bones and tendons, and between the bones and muscles surrounding a joint, such as the elbow, knee, and hip. Each sac contains viscous synovial fluid, which serves to cushion and lubricate movements. Repeated overuse or strain of the joint can quickly lead to a painful condition known as bursitis, which is characterized by swelling and inflammation of the bursa sacs. There are two main causes of ruptured or burst bursae: gradual worsening and infection of untreated bursitis, or severe, blunt trauma to the general area of the hip, knee, wrist, or elbow joint.

Common triggers for ruptured bursae are contact sports like football or soccer, or gradual injuries caused by running or jogging.After the sac has burst, diagnosis is often made by palpation of the area; severe, visible swelling is often observed as a result of the synovial fluid leaking out from the ruptured sac. Treatment of burst or ruptured bursae is rarely invasive and does not typically require surgical intervention. In severe cases (often in those involving the knee joints) a doctor may use a needle to remove the synovial fluid from around the joint, then inject the area with a corticosteroid to reduce the amount of inflammation.

The most common course of therapy combines regular application of ice compresses, rest and elevation of the joint, and a combination therapy of oral pain medications and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen. If infection is present, a one- to two-week schedule of oral antibiotics may be required.Residual pain from ruptured bursae may last for as long as two or three weeks depending upon the severity of the initial impact or whether the condition stems from untreated bursitis. The presence of infection may also lengthen the recovery period, as can failure to follow through with medical recommendations or medication therapy. The prognosis for recovery is usually optimistic in the absence of complicating factors.

reference.com

mkwest wrote:
The most common course of therapy combines regular application of ice compresses, rest and elevation of the joint, and a combination therapy of oral pain medications and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen.

Neddy wrote:also known as RICE.

rest, ice, compression, elevation

BadNFluenz wrote:mk who is that in your picture? dub-c?