Injury list lengthens

Press, 26 July 1984, Page 20

Injury list lengthens

NZPA Los Angeles The promising 1500 m specialist, Peter O’Donoghue, is the latest casualty in the New Zealand team. He has back pain and a sore left Jeg that may require a bone scan to see if it has a stress fracture. O’Donoghue joins the javelin thrower, Mike O’Rourke, a wrestler, Graeme Hawkins, and a cyclist, Graeme Miller, on the expanding injury list. O’Rourke and Miller are being treated for back problems, and Hawkins had to have a cartilage removed from his right knee. The director of medical services for the New Zealand team, Matt Marshall, said O’Donoghue had come into the village complaining of a sore back and leg pain.

“The back is something we can fix without problem. As for his leg, we have had that X-rayed to try and eliminate the possibility of stress fracture. “That showed his leg to be normal so we will just give him physio treatment for 48 hours to see if there is any improvement” Marshall said if there was no improvement they would arrange for a bone scan. “I had thought that any stress fracture would show in an X-ray. A shin splint can simulate a stress fracture and we have to be sure there is not a fracture,” he said. Marshall said O'Rourke and Hawkins ■ were having intensive treatment and were improving. Miller is having physiotherapy for his back pain.