Runzler gets reassuring opinion, will avoid surgery

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.Dan Runzlers return flight from Floridasure beat the fretful outbound leg.
After several days of mental turbulence, Runzler received good newsduring his consultation with Dr. James Andrews over the weekend in Pensacola,Fla. He only aggravated his latissimus dorsi muscle in a bullpen session andwont require surgery. He could be back in as little as four weeks.REWIND: Runzler flying to Florida for tests on lat muscle
It definitely put my head at ease, Runzler said. Hecompared the MRIs before and after and said it was just a small aggravation.Its not like I re-did it. He was very optimistic.Runzler tore his lat muscle in the final regular-season gamelast year. His intial bullpen sessions had gone well before he felt somethinggrab in the back of his shoulder near the armpit in his last session.The latissimus dorsi is a large muscle that extends down theback. Former San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy required surgery to repair histear. Andrews said Runzler wouldnt require a procedure, citing the fact thatPeavys muscle had retracted down his side.Mine didnt, Runzler said. He thinks some scar tissuepopped. So were going to concentrate on stretching it more and more so itdoesnt harden over. The strength tests were good and it feels good right now.Runzler will get on another flight to San Francisco, wherehell undergo a platelet-rich plasma treatment (P.R.P) in which blood iswithdrawn and spun to enrich its healing properties. Its the same procedurecatcher Eli Whiteside had on his right elbow in the offseason.Itll speed the process, Runzler said. In four to sixweeks, I should be game ready. Thats definitely better than we originallythought. We can be aggressive with this.Runzler expects to begin the season in extended springtraining to build up innings, with the hope to be game ready in mid-April.Obviously, he wont be a candidate for the final bullpen spot, which isexpected to go to right-hander Clay Hensley.Hensley has been slowed by a tight hamstring, but said hefelt good during a side session and should be cleared to appear in exhibitiongames.

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