In the latter half of his baseball life, he continued to throw “until it became tattered” in the midst of full-blown wounds due to repeated surgery and injuries. Matsusaka says he is now interested in athlete injuries and treatments because he has experienced many injuries. Therefore, we had a conversation with Mr. Masato Tsumamoto, the president of CellSource, who is making great strides in the field of regenerative medicine (3 times in total, 3 times / # 1 and # 2).
Can the player himself say “?” = Uncomfortable feeling
SkirtWhen I was reading the special feature of Mr. Matsuzaka in “Number” a while ago, I was surprised to see the statement that I could tell where other players were hurt just by looking at the form. Do you understand?
MatsuzakaI almost understand. Especially the pitcher. Regardless of whether or not the person is aware of it, I can see that he is holding his elbows and that his shoulders hurt. However, even if it doesn’t hurt if it’s a player’s feeling, it may be natural for the body to feel uncomfortable. Players who come into professional baseball have already thrown so much.
SkirtI want to change that consciousness. If you feel uncomfortable, treat it immediately so that it doesn’t matter.
MatsuzakaHowever, how do you judge that discomfort? In my case, I often wondered “?”, But in the case of the elbow, for example, even if I thought that the tension was a little slow, it was because of my physical condition or because I used a lot of changing balls. It was an idea, and I didn’t think “let’s have it inspected”.
I also consulted with a trainer. But “the season is about two months away, so let’s do our best” (laughs). Currently, I think that the environment is such that if a player complains of discomfort, he or she is immediately recommended to have an examination, but the question is whether or not the player will say it.
SkirtWill the athlete’s consciousness change if the athlete has a solid knowledge of PRP therapy and stem cell therapy?
MatsuzakaI think it will change. It’s mentally easy to think that regenerative medicine can cure such injuries and pains, and if you treat them off-season, you can make it in time for next year’s camp.
SkirtAgain, the biggest difference between regenerative medicine and surgery is the length of the rehabilitation period. The longer the rehabilitation period, the lower the performance and the longer it takes to recover. In the case of regenerative medicine, if treatment can be done early, the pain can be suppressed with a single injection, and you can rest for a while and recover again. In that case, I think it’s good for the players and good for the team. When it comes to surgery to endure the pain, I’ll be free for about a year, so I hope that the idea of taking care of it at the stage before that will permeate the sports world.
The generation who thought “it’s cool to hide injuries”
MatsuzakaThat is ideal, but as a matter of fact, not only in the professional baseball world but also in other competitions, players are in an environment that is difficult to say with a little pain or discomfort, so teams, trainers, and team doctors said, “Now, this kind of treatment is available. I think it’s better to give advice, “Because there is, treat it now and step up to the next step.”
SkirtI agree. It is necessary to change the mindset of the players, but it may be best to change the team. After all, from the player’s side, if you think that you will be removed from the regular, you will endure to the last minute.
