Michael Miao MD - Desert Orthopaedic Center

03/08/2026

WCC. Seattle had the athleticism up front but Pacific stayed more focused.

03/08/2026

WCC Portland went down to USF. Slow start to the first half but more competitive in the second.

03/08/2026

Gold. 20 medals. bilateral AKAs (above the knee amputations)? My favorite Winter Olympic Sport - biathlon. If I could only ski well.
Congratulations.

Broadcast available? I would watch Paralympics over 95% of what's available on TV right now.

Oksana Masters, the most decorated American Winter Paralympian, surprised even herself by adding a 20th medal to her overall tally.

03/08/2026

There are a lot of sports that require a swing of some object (golf club, bat, lacrosse stick, cricket bat, tennis raquet, badminton racquet, etc ). Having covered the local PGA event in Las Vegas for almost 20 years (most recently the Shriners Open) and a very amateur golfer myself, I've seen lower back issues repetitively come up among friends and patients.

The power to swing, ideally starts from your feet (think type of surface - hard, soft, artificial, natural) (think shoe wear and grip). The power generated comes from your legs preferentially depending on the sport. This power is then transmitted through twisting of the spine (lumbar, thoracic) and then through the shoulders and then transmitted through the arms to the hands and the object you're holding (or in the case of throwers...the ball).

A notable exception is water polo, in which the legs are largely distracted by the eggbeater kick and only part of the force of the throw is generated by the legs but more dominantly dependent on the spine/torso/shoulders.

I did a biomechanical study when I was a student researcher for the Kerlan Jobe clinic while in college (known for sports coverage of the Lakers, Dodgers, Angels, Kings, Rams for decades - now absorbed into Cedars Sinai) and determined that the elbow/wrist and hand are more for control of the ball / object. That was an aside.

With regards to Rory McIlroy (just an excuse to bring up this topic) and other athletes with back pain in these sports, he was quite responsible and smart to stop and focus on his recovery rather than fight through pain for additional rounds. For such a repetitive sport, it is very important to control the pain, allow the muscles to recover and heal, then return to training and restore flexibility and strength to the spinal joints and muscles. That sets him up for a much longer road in his career.

It's harder than we all want to admit, to stop ourselves from injuring ourselves more by just fighting through the pain.

This is just brutal timing.

03/06/2026

WCC late game. U San Diego held on to win over LMU. Playing Seattle tomorrow

03/06/2026

It’s March Madness again. WCC. Portland topped Pepperdine in the first evening game.

03/05/2026

I'm sure we've all seen this. Young kids speeding down traffic lanes. Some doing stunts like wheelies in traffic. Flying past slower car traffic. The wheels of society move slowly but at least something has been done to contain the youthful enthusiasm which brings real danger to not only themselves but to motorists that have to react to their activities. These e-( fill the space) started out as the next toy to have but if you step back and really look at them, they're "more" than mopeds that require a license (and perhaps insurance) to ride.

I would seriously consider making all of these motorized vehicles subject to the same rules and requirements for use on public roads.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Henderson City Council is clarifying the rules to enhance safety when it comes to the use of electric bicycles and electric scooters on city roadways, parks, trails, and public ...

02/28/2026

NFL combine. 4 days of all day work reviewing 300+ athletes. Now completed and heading home.

02/28/2026

One of my favorites. I still have the piano sheet music of "Breakikng up is hard to do"

A prolific songwriter, he composed hit songs by the Carpenters, Captain & Tennille, ABBA and many more

02/21/2026

Goliath grouper. First time seeing this.

02/21/2026

Now a fan of clams. Very cool creatures. Plus they taste great.

02/21/2026

Having seen dozens of sea cucumbers over the years this is the first time I’ve seen one actively feeding. Beautiful plumage.