Two years ago, playing in the high altitude of Denver could have killed Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark(notes). Instead, it cost him surgeries that took his spleen and gall bladder, and the loss of an additional 35 pounds due to medical complications.On Monday night, Pittsburgh returns to the Denver altitude for the first time since that scare. And amazingly, Clark is considering playing in the game, despite still carrying a sickle-cell trait and another undisclosed medical condition that caused the initial crisis. Clark has gotten medical clearance to play in the game, but the question remains: should Pittsburgh even be letting him entertain the risk?It’s a complicated question, and one that really can’t be answered by anyone outside of the Steelers, who are the only ones fully aware of his medical history, as well as the potential danger caused by Clark playing in altitude. While some veterans expressed sentiment against it, one NFC general manager said it’s not a risk his franchise would take.“Speaking from ignorance and not knowing all the medical particulars, my personal feeling is if all the pre-existing conditions are the same for [Clark], and if this was something legitimately brought on by the altitude, I don’t know how he could be allowed to play,” the general manager said. “But again, I don’t have the information in front of me that they do, so take it for what it’s worth. But to me, if you’re talking about the same scenario [as two years ago] from a health standpoint, even if that previous [health scare] was a freak thing, it’s got to be seen as a risk. If the altitude had a severe impact once, what’s to say it won’t again? Why take a chance?”Clark’s previous illness ensued after playing in a 31-28 loss to Denver on Oct. 21, 2007. He became ill following the game, after complications with the sickle-cell trait in his blood prevented parts of his spleen from receiving oxygen. As doctors struggled to determine the problem, he was forced to have emergency surgery to remove his spleen. A few weeks later, his gallbladder had to be removed as well. Throughout the ordeal, he lost 35 pounds and his once-chiseled 205-pound physique atrophied, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Along the way, doctors told Clark that about 1 percent of those afflicted with the sickle-cell trait in his blood react adversely to high stress and exertion in extreme altitude.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Another Clark episode not worth the risk
Two years ago, playing in the high altitude of Denver could have killed Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark(notes). Instead, it cost him surgeries that took his spleen and gall bladder, and the loss of an additional 35 pounds due to medical complications.On Monday night, Pittsburgh returns to the Denver altitude for the first time since that scare. And amazingly, Clark is considering playing in the game, despite still carrying a sickle-cell trait and another undisclosed medical condition that caused the initial crisis. Clark has gotten medical clearance to play in the game, but the question remains: should Pittsburgh even be letting him entertain the risk?It’s a complicated question, and one that really can’t be answered by anyone outside of the Steelers, who are the only ones fully aware of his medical history, as well as the potential danger caused by Clark playing in altitude. While some veterans expressed sentiment against it, one NFC general manager said it’s not a risk his franchise would take.“Speaking from ignorance and not knowing all the medical particulars, my personal feeling is if all the pre-existing conditions are the same for [Clark], and if this was something legitimately brought on by the altitude, I don’t know how he could be allowed to play,” the general manager said. “But again, I don’t have the information in front of me that they do, so take it for what it’s worth. But to me, if you’re talking about the same scenario [as two years ago] from a health standpoint, even if that previous [health scare] was a freak thing, it’s got to be seen as a risk. If the altitude had a severe impact once, what’s to say it won’t again? Why take a chance?”Clark’s previous illness ensued after playing in a 31-28 loss to Denver on Oct. 21, 2007. He became ill following the game, after complications with the sickle-cell trait in his blood prevented parts of his spleen from receiving oxygen. As doctors struggled to determine the problem, he was forced to have emergency surgery to remove his spleen. A few weeks later, his gallbladder had to be removed as well. Throughout the ordeal, he lost 35 pounds and his once-chiseled 205-pound physique atrophied, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Along the way, doctors told Clark that about 1 percent of those afflicted with the sickle-cell trait in his blood react adversely to high stress and exertion in extreme altitude.
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