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          Andrew Luck's cortisone shot, brief shutdown not necessarily a setback

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          Colts must look to future with Luck's health (0:46)

          Steve Young doesn't want Indianapolis to diminish Andrew Luck's role and pleads for the franchise to make the right decision and not rush the quarterback, even if Luck has to sit out for the remainder of the season. (0:46)

          • Mike Wells, ESPN Staff WriterOct 20, 2017, 12:30 PM
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            • Previously worked at Indianapolis Star, covering the Indiana Pacers for nine seasons
            • Also covered Vikings for St. Paul Pioneer Press
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          INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts' decision to give quarterback Andrew Luck a cortisone shot and to shut him down from practicing isn't surprising, according to ESPN's medical analyst.

          Players returning from shoulder surgery sometimes hit a point when they have to scale things back momentarily, Stephania Bell said. That's the case with Luck. General manager Chris Ballard said Wednesday that Luck, who had right shoulder surgery in January, would not continue his practice schedule this week and that the team doesn't have a timetable for when he'll return.

          "In the normal course of rehabbing you see this and it's not tragic," Bell said. "Sometimes these things happen. Guys go all the way through the entire process and everything is fine and then they get to one of the last and highest levels and there's a problem, and it may not even be a big problem. It just comes at a time for Andrew where things are amplified and people wonder if he's going to play at all this season. Of course the more you deal with it, the more you start to wonder that. It's too soon to say that, it's only Week 7."

          The cortisone shot, according to Bell, is to help with the inflammation and discomfort in Luck's shoulder. Luck practiced for the first time since the surgery twice during the week of Oct. 4. He increased his workload, including making throws up to 35 yards away during the media portion of practice and running the scout team, during his two days of practice the week of Oct. 11. Ballard said they'll pick up where they left at in Luck's rehab process once he returns to practicing.

          "The cortisone shot is a short-term management thing," Bell said. "When you come back from surgery and start throwing, you anticipate things are going to be a little bit sore. There's no timetable on when the soreness will go away after receiving the shot. It varies, but if it's going to help, it usually helps within a couple of days. You don't want them to move their arm a lot after getting the shot. You want them to kind be still, not do too much so it kind of stays there."