Even if it is broke, don' fix it!

It appears that they new trend in professional sports is to take all of the advancements of medical science along with the respected opinions of highly regarded doctors and medical professionals and just throw them right out the window. Torn ligaments? Who cares! Just wing it!

Kobe Bryant is the latest professional athlete to seek the advice of doctors, orthopedists, and surgeons, and then decide that they have no idea what they are talking about and go ahead and do whatever he wants to. It was announced today that Bryant will not have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right pinkie finger. Bryant first injured himself in early February and played more than half of the games last season, including the playoffs, as well as in the Olympics with the torn ligament. In his defense, however, he preformed very well, having no significant difference in his game stats prior to and after the injury.

While it may not appear to be very significant, this could have major ramifications for Kobe and the Lakers if something goes awry. Yes, he did play with the injury for an extended period of time with no perceived ill affects, but the longer he goes without taking care of his finger - on his shooting hand mind you - the more of a chance there is for the situation to get worse.

For one thing, he will be more susceptible to injury to that finger and hand; it wont take nearly as much pressure or force to cause more damage or inflict pain due to the pre-existing damage. For arguments sake, lets say that Kobe does suffer an additional injury to his right hand. The repair and healing process will become longer because instead of simply treating the primary problem, the injured pinkie will have to be accounted for as well.

Secondly, the longer he goes without having his finger properly repaired the more likely it is the finger will become inoperable, growing to form an irregularity that could cause problems down the line. Years from now, Kobe could have reoccurring problems with that finger that alter his shot and/or his overall game. It would be very sad to see a player that dynamic be crippled because of a pinkie.

On the very same day that Kobe decided to forgo surgery, Shawne Merriman, San Diego Chargers linebacker, changed his mind about skipping out on season-ending knee surgery.

Merriman's initial decision to play the 2008 season with two torn ligaments in his knee was widely questioned and criticized. After playing just one game on that injured knee, Merriman saw that he would not be able to play to the same level that he and the rest of the league expected of him. In hindsight, perhaps he should have had the operation months ago, but better now then when it was too late.

And while many will argue that the severity of these two stars' injuries are incomparable and probably shouldn't be mentioned in the same conversation, the fact is that these two situations are indeed similar.

Merriman avoided further damage that could have ended a bright career almost as soon as it started by making a smart choice. Kobe does have more years under his belt than Merriman, he also has multiple championships and an Olympic gold medal to go along with an already impressive and lengthy career, but he also has so much more in front of him. Kobe is in the prime of his career, and within the next few years he will have the opportunity to distinguish himself as one of, if not the best to have ever played the game. But, alas, we will have to wait with our fingers crossed (pun not intended) if Kobe's pinkie will eventually be the cause of his demise.

Conventional wisdom would argue to take care of a nagging problem. But because of his success in spite of the injury, perhaps the conventional wisdom is changing. Instead of "If it aint broke, don't fix it", perhaps the new vernacular will become: "Broke or not, get that scalpel away from me!"