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Injury Thread

Which terrifies me.

Hoping he starts AND finishes the game.
He suffered his hamstring last game and has not played a FULL practice this week. That makes me very concerned that he does not make it through the game. If he reinjures his hamstring, it will double the rehab time that he should have followed from the initial injury.
 
Doc,

Just here to ask about Ben's knee. How does this affect him with him being a quarterback with the drop back and planting as well as him extending plays. The Steelers are one of the true contenders in the AFC and want to see what this does for this season.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...go-surgery-torn-left-meniscus-table-uncertain

Last night after the game, an MRI revealed a meniscus tear of his left knee. There is talk that he will be back before the season is over. This tells me that he will undergo a scope "excision/trim" of the loose portion of the damaged meniscus, and not a "repair" of the damaged meniscus. An excision can typically mean ~6 weeks before return to play, while a repair would end his season with a 3 month (possibly +) rehab. The one thing that I can say is that it was not wise for Big Ben to be allowed to return and play after the injury because doing so could have very likely extended the damage. There is some "wiggle room" in the trim rehab from a very small meniscus trim possibly allowing a shorter rehab. However, knowing Ben the warrior, he and the medical staff will probably push the envelope to get him back before the typical rehab is complete........closer to 3-4 weeks........a decision if it ends up inappropriate could very well work against him in subsequent performance. He has injured this knee in the past, and the most likely meniscus damaged is the lateral meniscus, which carries a longer rehab and generally poorer prognosis, especially long-term, in that the lateral meniscus takes most of the weight of the knee as compared to the medial meniscus.
If indeed this is a lateral meniscus tear, I would not feel comfortable seeing most players on the field short of the full 6 weeks. But a QB is not likely to normally have the same stresses placed on it in comparison to most other positions, and this may be the argument to try to get him back on the field earlier.

This is a recent article that compared medial and lateral meniscus tears. The players are soccer players, but the relative comparison of the two injuries' recovery can be generally extrapolated to NFL players :
Am J Sports Med. 2014 Sep;42(9):2193-8. doi: 10.1177/0363546514540271. Epub 2014 Jul 17.
Return to play after lateral meniscectomy compared with medial meniscectomy in elite professional soccer players.
Nawabi DH1, Cro S2, Hamid IP3, Williams A4.
Author information
Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Meniscectomy is frequently performed in elite soccer athletes to allow return to a high level of performance as early as possible. Although lateral meniscectomy is known to have more serious long-term sequelae than medial meniscectomy, little is known about the effect of lateral meniscectomy on the time to return to play during the early recovery phase in professional soccer players.

HYPOTHESIS:
Lateral meniscectomy results in longer times to return to preinjury level of competition and a higher incidence of adverse outcomes compared with medial meniscectomy in elite professional soccer players.

STUDY DESIGN:
Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS:
A single-surgeon database containing the injury history and operative details of elite soccer athletes from 2005 to 2009 was used to identify players who had undergone an isolated partial lateral or medial meniscectomy. The time to return to preinjury level of competition, the incidence of adverse events during early recovery, and the need for further arthroscopy were recorded. Time to return to play was analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier method. A multivariate analysis was used to control for age, location of meniscectomy, percentage of meniscus excised, and type of tear.

RESULTS:
Ninety soccer players were identified, of which 42 had a lateral meniscectomy and 48 had a medial meniscectomy. The median time to return to play, to the nearest week, was longer in the lateral group than the medial group (7 vs 5; P < .001). At all time points after surgery, the cumulative probability of returning to play was 5.99 times greater (95% confidence interval, 3.34-10.74; P < .001) after medial meniscectomy. More lateral meniscectomy cases experienced adverse events related to pain/swelling-29 (69%) vs 4 (8%) (P < .001)-and required a second arthroscopy: 3 (7%) vs 0 (P = .098).

CONCLUSION:
The time to return to preinjury level of competition is significantly longer after lateral than medial meniscectomy in elite professional soccer athletes. Lateral meniscectomy has a higher incidence of adverse events in the early recovery period, including pain/swelling and the need for further arthroscopy. It is also associated with a significantly lower rate of return to play. These findings form the basis of an important discussion that must be had with player and club before a lateral meniscectomy is performed in elite soccer athletes.
 
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Are we looking at a season ending injury with KJo Doc?

That's the impression I'm getting from what I'm reading (I mean, we're already going into week 7 so there's only 10 weeks left) and if CnD confirms it we're in trouble. Joseph has been a mess this year and Kareem is, well "Kareem".

This is going to hurt us badly Kevin Johnson has been very good for us this year IMO.
 
Are we looking at a season ending injury with KJo Doc?

Saw this in the chron.com: http://www.chron.com/sports/texans/...ack-Kevin-Johnson-has-broken-foot-9976038.php

It doesn't look to good for him coming back this season. JJo should be ready to go and maybe KJac might be ready for Denver, but I think they will miss KJo a lot. I really like that kid the way he plays. Just wondering now if he will be injury prone because of his thin size and the way he plays.
 
Are we looking at a season ending injury with KJo Doc?
That's the impression I'm getting from what I'm reading (I mean, we're already going into week 7 so there's only 10 weeks left) and if CnD confirms it we're in trouble. Joseph has been a mess this year and Kareem is, well "Kareem".

This is going to hurt us badly Kevin Johnson has been very good for us this year IMO.

The most common foot fracture, especially in a WR and DB would be a 5th metatarsal fracture, known as a Jone fracture. Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Edelman and many more have suffered Jones fractures. The aforementioned suffered re-brakes or non-union of the same bone fracture. The 6-8 week return is commonly quoted. Despite following these players with serial x-rays, a 2nd break or failure to heal is an all too common occurrence. But those players that try to return closer to the 6 week mark tend to have a significantly higher rate of re-operation.
 
He
What do we know about Jjo?
He suffered a "forearm" injury during yesterday's game. X-rays were taken after the game and returned negative with the belief that this must only be a muscle contusion (bruise). However, if there is a hairline stress fracture, this very likely would not show up on plain x-ray, at least not untll ~10 days following the injury, when the bone at the edges of the fracture. The only sure way to not miss a small stress fracture is by MRI which should be obtained soon.
 
The most common foot fracture, especially in a WR and DB would be a 5th metatarsal fracture, known as a Jone fracture. Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Edelman and many more have suffered Jones fractures. The aforementioned suffered re-brakes or non-union of the same bone fracture. The 6-8 week return is commonly quoted. Despite following these players with serial x-rays, a 2nd break or failure to heal is an all too common occurrence. But those players that try to return closer to the 6 week mark tend to have a significantly higher rate of re-operation.

Doc, didn't KJo have a foot fracture last season along with his fractured wrist in that last regular season game? I haven't heard what foot it is he's fractured now but if it's the same one do you think this could be one of those things he has problems with throughout his career?
 
Doc, didn't KJo have a foot fracture last season along with his fractured wrist in that last regular season game? I haven't heard what foot it is he's fractured now but if it's the same one do you think this could be one of those things he has problems with throughout his career?
You are correct. That's why I emphasized the fact that many Jones fractures require another surgery. KJo actually played with a Jones fracture of his left foot for the entire last month of the season before later during the offseason undergoing surgical repair. Although, the exact nature of the recent foot fracture has not been revealed, I strongly suspect it is a re-fracture of his previously screwed Jones fracture.
 
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Really sucks that the Texans finally come together as a team and get a big win, but the next day you have to realize the bad injuries that took place. Losing Kevin Johnson for the year is huge especially on a unit that has already lost Watt and has a banged up secondary.
 
You are correct. That's why I emphasized the fact that many Jones fractures require another surgery. KJo actually played with a Jones fracture of his left foot for the entire last month of the season before later during the offseason undergoing surgical repair. Although, the exact nature of the recent foot fracture has not been revealed, I strongly suspect it is a re-fracture of his previously screwed Jones fracture.

Sounds like the same problem Sammy Watkins has too. Are they career threatening because they seem to refracture a lot? Or is the refracture just common and nothing to worry about?
 
Sounds like the same problem Sammy Watkins has too. Are they career threatening because they seem to refracture a lot? Or is the refracture just common and nothing to worry about?

Watkins was another player that shared this problem. This is not typically a career threatening injury. Yes, it is a career disruptor. Although studies have shown that waiting closer to 9-12 weeks can be associated with less risk for refracture and non-union in elite athletes, there has been a concentrated push for NFL players to get back on the field closer to 6 weeks. Once refracture occurs and bone grafting is usually performed to strengthen the healing bone, it is even more important to allow more time to heal and rehab (ideally closer to 12 weeks) to ensure a lower risk for further problem. Most all elite athletes can be expected to return to "original" performance levels once they are fully healed from this condition. A second refracture is expected to occur in only 1% of cases.
 
Observations on Duane, Doc?

In the first game back I thought he was done. Pleasantly surprised this last game. Run game going to Duane's side was very successful.
 
Observations on Duane, Doc?

In the first game back I thought he was done. Pleasantly surprised this last game. Run game going to Duane's side was very successful.

Brown is moving markedly slow. He is having trouble moving laterally quickly and forcefully. Keep in mind, in the 1st game he was facing a decent defense (#2 in the NFL).....in the 2nd game he was facing a hapless defense (#31 in the NFL).
 
Brown is moving markedly slow. He is having trouble moving laterally quickly and forcefully. Keep in mind, in the 1st game he was facing a decent defense (#2 in the NFL).....in the 2nd game he was facing a hapless defense (#31 in the NFL).
In your opinion, is he at present better left tackle than Clark? Brown snaps vs Vikings was 39 or 61%, vs Colts 100% @71 snaps. Clark played 100% snaps at RT @ Indy.
 
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In your opinion, is he at present better left tackle than Clark? Brown snaps vs Vikings was 39 or 61%, vs Colts 100% @71 snaps. Clark played 100% snaps at RT @ Denver.

?

At this point what I can say is that he is not moving the way he was pre-injury. If this does not improve significantly, he will not consistently be able to hold his post at LT against top defenses like he did in the past. Part of his success against runs to the left was in part due to Xavier Su'a-Filo sealing off the space immediately to Browns right.
 
Brown is moving markedly slow. He is having trouble moving laterally quickly and forcefully. Keep in mind, in the 1st game he was facing a decent defense (#2 in the NFL).....in the 2nd game he was facing a hapless defense (#31 in the NFL).
I think the Texans concur. Texans have gone to a frequent 6 man OL with the 6th OL (usually #63 Kendall Lamm) lined up on Brown's left side. When it's not Lamm a 2nd TE has filled in.
 
I think the Texans concur. Texans have gone to a frequent 6 man OL with the 6th OL (usually #63 Kendall Lamm) lined up on Brown's left side. When it's not Lamm a 2nd TE has filled in.
When Newton returns I'd rather see Clark in that alignment over Lamm.
 
Doc,

Just here to ask about Ben's knee. How does this affect him with him being a quarterback with the drop back and planting as well as him extending plays. The Steelers are one of the true contenders in the AFC and want to see what this does for this season.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...go-surgery-torn-left-meniscus-table-uncertain

There have been repeated reports that Big Ben would be back from his lateral meniscus injury/excisional surgery within a week or two, a prediction that I felt was unrealistic.........even for Ben.:

Last night after the game, an MRI revealed a meniscus tear of his left knee. There is talk that he will be back before the season is over. This tells me that he will undergo a scope "excision/trim" of the loose portion of the damaged meniscus, and not a "repair" of the damaged meniscus. An excision can typically mean ~6 weeks before return to play, while a repair would end his season with a 3 month (possibly +) rehab. The one thing that I can say is that it was not wise for Big Ben to be allowed to return and play after the injury because doing so could have very likely extended the damage. There is some "wiggle room" in the trim rehab from a very small meniscus trim possibly allowing a shorter rehab. However, knowing Ben the warrior, he and the medical staff will probably push the envelope to get him back before the typical rehab is complete........closer to 3-4 weeks........a decision if it ends up inappropriate could very well work against him in subsequent performance. He has injured this knee in the past, and the most likely meniscus damaged is the lateral meniscus, which carries a longer rehab and generally poorer prognosis, especially long-term, in that the lateral meniscus takes most of the weight of the knee as compared to the medial meniscus.

If indeed this is a lateral meniscus tear, I would not feel comfortable seeing most players on the field short of the full 6 weeks. But a QB is not likely to normally have the same stresses placed on it in comparison to most other positions, and this may be the argument to try to get him back on the field earlier.


Today reports are coming back with return to play much more in line with what I always deemed more realistic.:

Report: Roethlisberger absence now pegged at 4-6 weeks
Posted by Darin Gantt on October 19, 2016, 11:13 AM EDT

Earlier this week, Steelers backup quarterback Landry Jones said he wasn’t ready to rule Ben Roethlisberger out this week, though coach Mike Tomlin quickly doused that the following day.

But it might be much longer than a week before Roethlisberger returns.

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the timetable for Roethlisberger after knee surgery has moved from a week or two to four-to-six.
LINK
 
Lonnie Ballentine returned to practice today....after being on the PUP for 6 weeks. It will probably be a couple of weeks before he can play. It would be nice to have a 6'3'' 225lb Safety with 4.4 speed back available.
 
Lonnie Ballentine returned to practice today....after being on the PUP for 6 weeks. It will probably be a couple of weeks before he can play. It would be nice to have a 6'3'' 225lb Safety with 4.4 speed back available.
I have liked this kid since we have brought him aboard; with some on field experience if he could get and remain healthy, he should be able to handle the larger WRs the NFL seems to be pushing for.
 
Jeff Allen who is in the concussion protocol, and Derrick Newton who is nursing an ankle injury did not practice today..........but the teams feels that both will be ready to go Monday night.
 
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Hamstring re-injured against the Colts.
He missed half of TC with a hamstring................just a testament as to how especially within the first 3 -6 months following a hamstring injury, you have a high risk of re-injury. Hamstring tears, and even more so calf tears, are a b**ch to put completely behind you over the long haul.
 
BOB says that Newton will be back Monday night. Newton has essentially maintained his niche on the Injury Report every week since the beginning of the year. He's gone from hamstring to knee to his present ankle. I hope I'm wrong, but this to me is not very promising for staying on the field, nor for the performance that will be shown when he is there.
 
BOB says that Newton will be back Monday night. Newton has essentially maintained his niche on the Injury Report every week since the beginning of the year. He's gone from hamstring to knee to his present ankle. I hope I'm wrong, but this to me is not very promising for staying on the field, nor for the performance that will be shown when he is there.
We are just chewing up another player as we do not have suitable back ups. Hopefully in future, better backups will allow injured starters time to heal. It is wild to think Joseph, KJ and Kevin Johnson could or will miss significant games at same time. This position was a strength not long ago.
 
You are correct. That's why I emphasized the fact that many Jones fractures require another surgery. KJo actually played with a Jones fracture of his left foot for the entire last month of the season before later during the offseason undergoing surgical repair. Although, the exact nature of the recent foot fracture has not been revealed, I strongly suspect it is a re-fracture of his previously screwed Jones fracture.

As I suspected:

Johnson broke his foot during Sunday night's win over the Colts, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Johnson impressively only missed one snap in Sunday's game but reportedly broke the same foot on which he had surgery during the offseason. The 2015 first-rounder's latest injury is feared to end his season, which would only add to Houston's hardships on defense. In the secondary alone, both starters Jonathan Joseph (forearm) and Kareem Jackson (hamstring) are injured, so potentially being without a rising talent like Johnson could leave the Texans even more vulnerable against the pass.

KJo was consoled by JJo about his injury. Most do not know, but during his Bengals days, JJo made the 1% list of those that have sustained a 2nd Jones RE-fracture (3 fractures in total). From Bengals.com:

Joseph: '100 percent'
Posted Apr 2, 2009
By GEOFF HOBSON


Johnathan Joseph spent three months on his couch beeping the Bengals to a Madden Super Bowl win while bonding with his five-year-old son.

"He thought he was playing," Joseph said, "but I had it on Coach's Mode."

Make no mistake. The Bengals coaches are in up mode when it comes to Joseph, one of their prized starting cornerbacks that says he's at his healthiest since he was selected as the team's first pick in the 2006 draft.

"Solid. One hundred percent," he says, going through workouts again after missing half the games last season. "I think the best thing was staying on the couch for three months."

One hundred percent.

It is a number Joseph has rarely seen when it comes to his health.

That's why he planted himself on the divan immediately following Dec. 3 surgery on his right foot to repair a recurring stress fracture that wiped out the last six games. But the pain stretched all the way back to June 2, 2007 during a minicamp practice he originally suffered the break.

"I came back too soon," Joseph admits. "It began to feel better around the middle of the year, but I knew at some point I was going to need surgery again."

It broke again in the 13-13 tie against the Eagles this past Nov. 16, which is a bit ironic because the game sums up his career so far. Early in the OT he was exactly where he was supposed to be to pick off quarterback Donovan McNabb and return it for the sudden victory. Instead, it was his 49th career pass defensed instead of his sixth career interception.

Close, but…

"He knows he's got to catch the ball. He's working on his hands," says secondary coach Kevin Coyle. "If Johnathan Joseph is healthy, I have no doubt that he can make explosive plays like other impact corners in this league. That's what he does. He has that athleticism. With the injuries behind him, this is the year he has to do that."

If Joseph can trump what he did as a rookie with the terrific closing speed that netted him 19 pass breakups and if Leon Hall continues to relentlessly progress into an upper echelon technician, the Bengals feel like they've got a cornerback tandem that can compete with most any in the NFL.

"The big thing for me is to stay healthy, things stay quiet, and I just go out and do my job," Joseph says. "When I play, I'm productive. I've got (49) pass breakups and (178) tackles, so when I'm on the field, I'll produce. But I've got to stay on the field."

Joseph offers no excuses for last year, when he missed virtually four of the first five games with a high ankle sprain even before the break.

None for the miserable game in Houston when Andre Johnson went off and Kevin Walter went down and Joseph still hasn't touched either. And none for the huge third-down play against the Steelers back in October when he had a pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes on his hip and let it get by for a back-breaking completion.

He also had some big moments. With the Jaguars trying to tie the game late with a two-point conversion, Joseph quickly batted down a slant to preserve the first victory of the season.

But Coyle figures of Joseph's 30 NFL starts, he's been healthy for only about half of them. And none for last year's seven starts.

"I'm not making excuses for him because he has to play better and he knows he has to play better, but I don't think there is any question that him not being 100 percent has been a factor in his play," Coyle says. "We haven't seen that real explosive athleticism that we saw that first year. But as a cornerback, you've got to have confidence in your feet. That's what you use to drive off and break on the ball, and if it's not 100 percent, and you have to do things a little different mechanically, it's going to affect you."

Joseph is pleased with the surgery. A piece of his hip bone was grafted into the fracture, as well as a larger screw, and he's been flying around Paul Brown Stadium, even getting into the post-workout basketball games. The three months on the couch (he began walking around on Valentine's Day) not only reenergized the foot, but brought him time with his oldest and his newborn.

And he feels kind of like a newborn himself.

"I feel like I did when they first draft me," Joseph says. "I feel rested, there's no pain. Now is the time."
 
We are just chewing up another player as we do not have suitable back ups. Hopefully in future, better backups will allow injured starters time to heal. It is wild to think Joseph, KJ and Kevin Johnson could or will miss significant games at same time. This position was a strength not long ago.

I'm beginning to get a little more concerned about KJ now. Some sources report him as a hamstring injury, others an ankle injury. All too often when I see this this particular duality of injury reports, they can both be correct and sometimes end up actually being a purposely veiled Achilles problem.
 
I'm beginning to get a little more concerned about KJ now. Some sources report him as a hamstring injury, others an ankle injury. All too often when I see this this particular duality of injury reports, they can both be correct and sometimes end up actually being a purposely veiled Achilles problem.
that is exactly my concern. Some complain about O'Brien being closed mouth with injuries but I cannot blame him. With either J Joseph or KJ out I feel good with Bouye but now wow. Hopefully Joseph can remain effective using his experience and Bouye to replace Johnson. My focus will be on Robert Nelson who came from PS to starter and not only was not a pinata but had an INT. I hope to become part of his fan club. ok I am a dreamer but might as well dream big.
 
Andrew Luck ended up on the Injury Report after the last game, not with a "shoulder," but with an "ankle." The Colts are saying that it is nothing to worry about, but with the styrofoam Colts OL, his "escapability" will certainly not be enhanced.
 
CND - I've never seen, nor heard of two knees blowing out on one play. HORRIBLE.

I did Google this, and came up with one hit that I thought you might find interesting and also might want to comment on at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723702/

The case listed was 36-year old playing soccer that blew out both patellar tendons when landing.

I suspect this is an obvious career ending injury for a guy about to turn 29, but I hope and pray he won't be crippled.
 
CND - I've never seen, nor heard of two knees blowing out on one play. HORRIBLE.

I did Google this, and came up with one hit that I thought you might find interesting and also might want to comment on at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723702/

The case listed was 36-year old playing soccer that blew out both patellar tendons when landing.

I suspect this is an obvious career ending injury for a guy about to turn 29, but I hope and pray he won't be crippled.

There are only about 24 cases of bilateral patellar tendon ruptures in the world medical literature. All but a handful were due to an underlying systemic disease that weakened the tendon, which Newton would have shown by his teen years. The couple of sports-related cases were incurred while coming down off a jump (non contact). The only NFL player that I can think of that has sustained simultaneous bilateral ruptures is a Vikings' WR (can't remember his name) in his rookie year during TC..........and as far as I know never played a down in a regular game.

Just like an Achilles tendon, overuse is usually the cause of a progressive tendinosis......degeneration of the tendon.........until ultimately it weakens enough to rupture, usually in a non contact scenaria. What is interesting is that an ankle injury not uncommonly precedes and promotes tendinosis (degeneration ) of the patellar tendon due to the compensatory stresses placed upon it. And that's why in the Injury Report I stated my concerns over the combination of ankle with an existing knee condition. That combination is never something to take lightly, especially since these type of injuries tend not to be isolated to that structure of the knee (PCL, ACL, [in fact any of the knee ligaments] meniscus, articular cartilage]).
 
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Considering the obvious amount of atrophy that will occur with both knees ruptured, it's not a career ending question, but a quality of life question.
 
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