Texans tackle Okoye may need MRI for sore knee

[texanfan2002114]

Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye has a sore left knee that may require an MRI.

After he was honored by the Houston City Council on Tuesday for his philanthropic efforts, Okoye said he has developed soreness in his knee while running in the Texans’ conditioning program.

"There's a little soreness there," he said. "Hopefully, it's nothing big. We’re taking a look at it. Going out there and running, it's not really inhibiting me, but I can feel a little bit of soreness. I’ll take it day by day and see if it gets worse or if it gets any better.

"I wouldn't necessarily say it's worrisome. Let's hope it doesn't get worrisome."

Coach Gary Kubiak said he plans to meet with Okoye on Wednesday.

“We’ll do whatever needs to be done for Amobi to be successful,” Kubiak said. “All of our guys are sore right now because they’ve been working so hard in the conditioning program for eight or nine days.”

Okoye said he plans to wait two weeks to see if the soreness goes away. If not, he’ll get the MRI to see if there’s any damage.

"I went to the doctor, and he took a look at it and said it's nothing to worry about right now," Okoye said. "I hope it stays that way."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6373945.html

[CloakNNNdagger]

I don't remember Okoye ever having knee problems last year. Inactivity followed by rigorous conditioning program, especially if not eased into, can lead to injury. Hopefully, just mild strained ligament. Hopefully, not the beginning of a rode that led to his counterpart Okoye, Christian that is, to an early retirement.

[BSofA04]

Why wait two weeks? Get it looked at NOW! Not that we're expecting to see anything, but should the unfortunante event occur that he'll need surgery...would it change our mentality for the draft next week? Possibly. I think it would be wise to be overcautious while it's early and get it done.

[BSofA04]

Double post.

[gtexan02]

Lets hope this isn't another "nagging" injury excuse waiting to happen to explain away another disappointing season

[Clamp]

For some reason tendinitis jumps into my head right away. I had it and that is probably why. i was in powerlifting in HS and my squat max went up about 100 lbs in a relatively short amount of time but I had bad form and put alot of strain on my knee. Well I decded to tough it out for the remainder of the season and after several months I got it looked at and they said it may be chronic. My advise to him is do exactly what he said, take it easy for a few weeks and rest.

Tendinitis is an inflamed portion of a tendon brought on by excessive strain. Heals relatively quickly if you dont re aggravate it. It is just painful and uncomfortable but wont cause injury if he plays with it. Similar in many ways to Mario's plantar fasciitis.

This is all assuming that it IS tendinitis, but like i said. My gut reaction tells me it could be.

[nunusguy]

Jacobey has not been very durable either.
Between him & Okoye (top 2 picks of '07), that inaugural Draft for the
Smith-Kubiak combo is looking shakier and shakier with the passage of time.

[MojoMan]

Another common source of knee pain while running is pattelofemmoral pain (Runner's Knee):

Patellofemoral pain may be the result of irritation of the soft tissues around the front of the knee. Strained tendons are fairly common in athletes. Other contributing factors to Patellofemoral pain include overuse, muscle imbalance and inadequate stretching. Pain that begins in another part of the body, such as the back or hip, may cause pain in the knee (referred pain).

In some people with runner's knee, the kneecap is out of alignment. If so, vigorous activities can cause excessive stress and wear on the cartilage of the kneecap. This can lead to softening and breakdown of the cartilage on the patella (chondromalacia patella) and cause pain in the underlying bone and irritation of the joint lining.

The doctor may order diagnostic imaging studies, such as X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans, and blood tests to rule out damage to the structure of the knee and the tissues that connect to it.

Nonsurgical Treatment
After resting the knee until the pain and swelling go down, you may need reconditioning to regain full range of motion, strength, power, endurance, speed, agility, and coordination. Your doctor may prescribe an exercise program to normalize the flexibility and strength of thigh muscles, or recommend cross-training exercises that emphasize stretching the lower extremities. Your doctor will tell you when you may gradually resume running and other athletic activities.

Other nonsurgical treatments involve taping the kneecap or using a special brace for knee support during sports participation. Special shoe inserts (orthotics) may sometimes be prescribed and may help relieve the pain.

This is very common. I have had it. I would expect that a number of other people on this board have had this as well. Frequently, the solution for this is just a special stretching program.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by Clamp

For some reason tendinitis jumps into my head right away. I had it and that is probably why. i was in powerlifting in HS and my squat max went up about 100 lbs in a relatively short amount of time but I had bad form and put alot of strain on my knee. Well I decded to tough it out for the remainder of the season and after several months I got it looked at and they said it may be chronic. My advise to him is do exactly what he said, take it easy for a few weeks and rest.

Tendinitis is an inflamed portion of a tendon brought on by excessive strain. Heals relatively quickly if you dont re aggravate it. It is just painful and uncomfortable but wont cause injury if he plays with it. Similar in many ways to Mario's plantar fasciitis.

This is all assuming that it IS tendinitis, but like i said. My gut reaction tells me it could be.

Putting too much strain on joints can lead to ligament strain or tendinitis. The former usually occurs more acutely and the latter over a longer period of time. Tendonitis develops also develops most commonly in weight training when the player puts the tendon under too much strain without properly warming up or under strain that the tendon simply cannot handle.
Either way, either injury is avoidable, and both require RICE, at least initially. If there is a significant tear, it can be a much more involved road to recovery. Hopefully, whether ligament strain or a form of tendinitis, it remains an isolated incident for Okoye.

[PapaL]

Why not get an MRI now, rest two weeks and then get another one done? Or did I miss the part where they said he got one now too.

Needless to say, right now is not the time to be injured. We need everyone healthy and improving before the season kicks off.

I'm sure AO knows there is a lot of pressure for him to preform this season.

[beerlover]

I can't take this anymore, call it over-reacting if you want the Texans HAVE TO GET BETTER PRODUCTION from the DT position, they've spent even more money this off season to address it now this. I shudder to think they spend 1st rd. money again on DT but Peria Jerry might be dialed in sooner than we think

[TimeKiller]

Originally Posted by beerlover

I can't take this anymore, call it over-reacting if you want the Texans HAVE TO GET BETTER PRODUCTION from the DT position, they've spent even more money this off season to address it now this. I shudder to think they spend 1st rd. money again on DT but Peria Jerry might be dialed in sooner than we think

I think drafting him is worst case scenario but if Okoye is looking bad he's the pick, no question. Or trade half the draft to get Raji.

Either way I hope some rest does the young man some good, I know he's been pushing himself since the probowl to get better for this team.

[HOU-TEX]

Meh, he just doesn't want to run. Typical Lineman.

Seriously though, players get MRI's free, right? Check it out, get it taken care of now in order to not miss any camp time.

Sounds like Kubes is telling Amobi to get over it.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by PapaL

Why not get an MRI now, rest two weeks and then get another one done? Or did I miss the part where they said he got one now too.

Needless to say, right now is not the time to be injured. We need everyone healthy and improving before the season kicks off.

I'm sure AO knows there is a lot of pressure for him to preform this season.

I can't say for sure, but they must not think that it is on the scale of requiring surgery. Whether it is a simple ligament strain or tendonitis, which can be determined by physical exam, the minimum of 2 weeks of RICE is a given. They lose nothing by waiting 2 weeks for the MRI. If it is a microfracture, which is another possibility, it may not show until 10-14 days post trauma. The only time that an early MRI would be advantageous is in a case of major tear or fracture, which I would hope would have been ruled out with the decision to wait for the MRI. Unfortunately, looking at past history, this may not be a given.

[Texecutioner]

Originally Posted by Clamp

For some reason tendinitis jumps into my head right away. I had it and that is probably why. i was in powerlifting in HS and my squat max went up about 100 lbs in a relatively short amount of time but I had bad form and put alot of strain on my knee. Well I decded to tough it out for the remainder of the season and after several months I got it looked at and they said it may be chronic. My advise to him is do exactly what he said, take it easy for a few weeks and rest.

Tendinitis is an inflamed portion of a tendon brought on by excessive strain. Heals relatively quickly if you dont re aggravate it. It is just painful and uncomfortable but wont cause injury if he plays with it. Similar in many ways to Mario's plantar fasciitis.

This is all assuming that it IS tendinitis, but like i said. My gut reaction tells me it could be.

I had a strange pain in my knee for years man. It all started one day after I was playing basketball. It was right on top of my knee cap and whenever I leaned on my knee or put pressure on that spot I would feel some pain there. It wasn't a horrible pain , but it was a very irritating pain. Whenever I ran real hard or played basketball especially I would feel the pain more and it would get sore. I had it for so long, that I just learned how to tolerate it.

Then about a year or so ago I realized that I hadn't felt the pain for a while and I haven't ever since either. I;m not sure why it or how it just up and went away but it did and I'm glad.

Do you think that was tendinitis? I've had tendinitis in my elbow more than once and hated it, but I still am not sure if that is what it was in my knee.

[Specnatz]

A lot of pessimist on here.


It is the start of conditioning and he is a little sore, no **** really? You mean someone who is not in game shape is a little sore after starting a new workout routine? Gee who would have thought or guessed.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by specnatz

a lot of pessimist on here.


It is the start of conditioning and he is a little sore, no **** really? You mean someone who is not in game shape is a little sore after starting a new workout routine? Gee who would have thought or guessed.

qft.

[BSofA04]

Originally Posted by Specnatz

A lot of pessimist on here.


It is the start of conditioning and he is a little sore, no **** really? You mean someone who is not in game shape is a little sore after starting a new workout routine? Gee who would have thought or guessed.

It's a week before the draft, I think it'd be wise to be overcautious.

[Vinny]

I wonder if he has been working out prior to this camp? Big heavy men who all of a sudden start to stress out their joints put a much tougher burden on their connective tissues than smaller men. I hope this isn't a sign that he has been sitting around since last season.