Troy Percival was activated from the DL today after being sidelined since July 2 with a strained left hamstring. Some interesting news has surfaced, however, (from Mark Lancaster at the Tampa Tribune) indicating that the cause of the recurring left hamstring pain is actually coming from a nerve-related issue in his low back.
In reference to the treatment he has been receiving, Percival said, "It seemed to calm that nerve down that was shooting into my leg. The nerve was weakening the hamstring and the hamstring kept popping. So we seem to have the nerve under control pretty good."
Hamstring tightness is a very common secondary occurrence when a low back pathology is present (usually a form of Stenosis and/or Degenerative Disc Disease). This seems like a situation where the nerve fibers that make up the Sciatic nerve were being compressed - offering shooting pain into the posterior thigh, and also creating weak and tight hamstrings.
Kudos to the Rays’ medical staff for taking a more in-depth look at this injury and for treating the cause of the injury and not merely treating the symptoms. Now that we know the real cause of his problem, it is realistic to believe that this will be a chronic problem for Percival that he will need to manage over time.
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