Injury Thread

[otisbean]

For an athlete like Watt, the most important type of exercises (not practical to list them all) are those that maintain flexibility and increase the strength of his large back muscles and the entire realm of abdominal core muscles. At this stage, Watt will be performing the same exercises that he has been all along, but now with incremental increases the load placed on of these muscles. Otisbean may be able to comment on this further.

As far as the chronology summary of Watt's back injury. He was dealing with a significant back issue since at least last October (most likely on a lesser scale very much longer than that). The typical epidural regimen was undoubtedly instituted along with intense muscular rehab. In the course of his rehab, he re-injured his back.........attempt at further rehab was unsuccessful leading to his microdiscectomy on July 20.

The first thing to do is re establish motor control of the musculature around the spine. I had a minor knee surgery several years ago and it took me a couple weeks to be able to activate my quads properly. With regards to the spine, there is an intrinsic stabilization system consisting of deeper core muscles that needs to be developed, the diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, the transverse abdominus, and the multifidus. These muscle provide segemental stability to the spine and help create inter abdominal pressure to provide support for the spine. If these muscles don't work properly other muscles have to help and you end up with compensation patterns which will lead to injury.

Once the muscles activate properly, you have to begin to re build their endurance. Many low back injuries occur because fatigue. If you think of the spine as a fishing pole with a bowling ball (your head) attached to it, there's no way the fishing pole can hold the bowling ball upright. However, if you take a large number of support cables (your core muscles) and run them up and down the fishing pole, you can stabilize the bowling ball with no problem. If you cut a support cable, it fails to properly support the fishing pole and it can buckle. As your core musculature fatigues, it can fail to properly support the spine and the spine can buckle. Rebuilding the endurance of the supporting muscles is really important. You would begin with isometric exercises such as planks, side bridges, bird dogs and pall of presses. Once you have a high level of endurance in stationary exercises, you can begin to work on spinal stabilization in a dynamic environment with loaded carries and unbalanced lifting (think of a standing single arm chest press utilizing a cable weight system)- again focusing on endurance over load.

After muscular endurance is re established, you can begin to rebuild strength. The exercises would be similar you would simply increase the loading. Once strength has been re-established, you can start to re-introduce power work - med ball throws and catches where the core muscles have to rapidly turn on to provide instantaneous support.

It would also be very important to make sure he has proper range of motion in his lower extremities so that he has proper movement patterns. When athletes can't move properly through the ankles and hips, they tend to compensate by flexing/bending their spine - which causes major problems


The thing I worry about, has enough time passed since his surgery to allow this process to happen? For JJs sake and for all us fans sake, I hope so. I want nothing more than to see him back to his old self again

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The first thing to do is re establish motor control of the musculature around the spine. I had a minor knee surgery several years ago and it took me a couple weeks to be able to activate my quads properly. With regards to the spine, there is an intrinsic stabilization system consisting of deeper core muscles that needs to be developed, the diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, the transverse abdominus, and the multifidus. These muscle provide segemental stability to the spine and help create inter abdominal pressure to provide support for the spine. If these muscles don't work properly other muscles have to help and you end up with compensation patterns which will lead to injury.

Once the muscles activate properly, you have to begin to re build their endurance. Many low back injuries occur because fatigue. If you think of the spine as a fishing pole with a bowling ball (your head) attached to it, there's no way the fishing pole can hold the bowling ball upright. However, if you take a large number of support cables (your core muscles) and run them up and down the fishing pole, you can stabilize the bowling ball with no problem. If you cut a support cable, it fails to properly support the fishing pole and it can buckle. As your core musculature fatigues, it can fail to properly support the spine and the spine can buckle. Rebuilding the endurance of the supporting muscles is really important. You would begin with isometric exercises such as planks, side bridges, bird dogs and pall of presses. Once you have a high level of endurance in stationary exercises, you can begin to work on spinal stabilization in a dynamic environment with loaded carries and unbalanced lifting (think of a standing single arm chest press utilizing a cable weight system)- again focusing on endurance over load.

After muscular endurance is re established, you can begin to rebuild strength. The exercises would be similar you would simply increase the loading. Once strength has been re-established, you can start to re-introduce power work - med ball throws and catches where the core muscles have to rapidly turn on to provide instantaneous support.

It would also be very important to make sure he has proper range of motion in his lower extremities so that he has proper movement patterns. When athletes can't move properly through the ankles and hips, they tend to compensate by flexing/bending their spine - which causes major problems


The thing I worry about, has enough time passed since his surgery to allow this process to happen? For JJs sake and for all us fans sake, I hope so. I want nothing more than to see him back to his old self again

Thanks for the nice review. I share your concern about the time element that has been given. There is a reason that virtually every spinal surgeon I know restricts their professional athletes from participating in contact sports for 3 months. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm seeing this more of an ego-driven time table than a prudent well thought-through thorough process.

 

[edo783]

I suspect this is driven heavily by JJs desire to keep his "No games missed" thing going. Come in for maybe a series and then out MIGHT be OK, Kind of let him have a preseason so to speak for the first 3 games or so. I understand his desire, but I can't say I like it.

 

[Insideop]

Thanks for the nice review. I share your concern about the time element that has been given. There is a reason that virtually every spinal surgeon I know restricts their professional athletes from participating in contact sports for 3 months. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm seeing this more of an ego-driven time table than a prudent well thought-through thorough process.

Doc, nothing you and Otis have said here has made me feel comfortable about JJ's return in week one. In fact, it's scaring the shat out of me! What I fear more than anything with this whole Watt injury is that they play him too soon and he does something physically to his spine that ruins the rest of his football career! I'd rather Watt sit out the whole season than to risk that. Unfortunately, it's out of our hands and there is nothing we can do about it except hope and pray that nothing happens and JJ continues to play like he has in the past.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Doc, nothing you and Otis have said here has made me feel comfortable about JJ's return in week one. In fact, it's scaring the shat out of me! What I fear more than anything with this whole Watt injury is that they play him too soon and he does something physically to his spine that ruins the rest of his football career! I'd rather Watt sit out the whole season than to risk that. Unfortunately, it's out of our hands and there is nothing we can do about it except hope and pray that nothing happens and JJ continues to play like he has in the past.

If he is not "ready" in terms of residual pain, limitations of movement and/or strength of core muscles, another very real potential he faces is compensatory injury(ies).

 

[thunderkyss]

Doc, nothing you and Otis have said here has made me feel comfortable about JJ's return in week one. In fact, it's scaring the shat out of me! What I fear more than anything with this whole Watt injury is that they play him too soon and he does something physically to his spine that ruins the rest of his football career! I'd rather Watt sit out the whole season than to risk that. Unfortunately, it's out of our hands and there is nothing we can do about it except hope and pray that nothing happens and JJ continues to play like he has in the past.

Sitting out the whole season... that's wild. Not going to happen, not on the table. I do agree this is most likely too soon. We should probably prepare ourselves for life without Jj sooner rather than later.

I don't know how the Texans can win in this situation. The player says he's healthy, ready to play. All the coaching staff can do is put him through his paces during practice & see how he reacts. Then put him in a game, see how he reacts... the only problem is if he reacts poorly, swelling, spasms, related core injury, it's too late.

 

[Scooter]

The spinal surgery is obviously the most recent and most concerning towards Watt playing this year, but he also had the rest of his core worked this offseason. How should his groin surgery and any other treatments be at this point? Especially without being able to (I assume) rehab those areas properly because of the back surgery, I'm concerned that he has a whole mess of time bombs ready to go off if he pushes too hard to come back before being ready.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The spinal surgery is obviously the most recent and most concerning towards Watt playing this year, but he also had the rest of his core worked this offseason. How should his groin surgery and any other treatments be at this point? Especially without being able to (I assume) rehab those areas properly because of the back surgery, I'm concerned that he has a whole mess of time bombs ready to go off if he pushes too hard to come back before being ready.

My post from August 23 should answer your concerns (in response to TexansSeminole's report that Watt continues to have problems):

As my post following his extensive bilateral sports hernia and back surgeries have reflected, I have been very guarded about his future.........not only as Superman, but as a football player. If this is indeed true, this is exactly what I was concerned about, after his cumulative major core injuries. The microdiscectomy procedure removes the initially damaged portion of a disk. Microdiscectomies are found to fail, many times after a period of relief, and back and nerve compression problems continue or return in ~25% of cases and the surgery must be repeated. The next option usually considered (if there is enough disk material that can be retained) is another microdiscectomy, which again can be therapeutic to variable extent and variable amount of time. This simply is because it has lost some of its water content which causes decreased shock absorption with uneven pressure on the compromised disk. This then tends to lead to continued structural changes and instability. ............and this is the case in an accountant or a lawyer. Now address an NFL lineman who is very tall, heavy and continually requires bending, torquing and twisting of the body against resistance, and you can imagine the additional stress the back (especially the lower back) and their disks will endure. If the second microdiscectomy fails, typically the next option given is a removal of the disc with insertion of a prosthetic disk or with a vertebral fusion.............both of these extremely long recoveries........and very likely career ending. I hope that this is not the fate of one of the NFL's greatest players.

One last thought. This could be another disk level that Watt is dealing with. When one level is compromised, it is all too common for an adjacent level to be affected concomitantly or in the future.

And from last Saturday:

The newer approach to microdiscectomy is to try to avoid actually cutting through the back muscles and actually cutting through the midline fascia connecting the right and left vertically-oriented back muscles, then peeling the muscles off of the vertebra. Then, in order to access the affected nerve root, ligaments connecting the adjoining vertebrae must be excised, and a small window of bone must be removed. All of these areas must be given time to heal in order to be totally rehabbed. A football player like Watt will have atrophied muscle to a significant extent due the actual trauma to the tissues in addition to the time required to allow for the more dormant, less strenuous part of his rehab.

This is a very simple animation [only 1 minute 23 seconds long......and no blood ] that should help MB members better visualize/conceptualize this surgery:
Lumbar Spine Posterior Discectomy Micro-discectomy neuro-surgery 3D animations

Non athletes now are allowed to go back to light duty work as soon as 2 weeks postoperatively. However, following a microdiscectomy, most surgeons will limit bending, lifting, or twisting for six weeks to prevent a recurrent lumbar disc herniation. Unfortunately, because the disc covering has a poor blood supply, healing of the defect where the inner material of the disc extruded may take three to four months to scar over and reinforce the closure of the defect. Therefore, restricting activity, especially in the case of an athlete, for only six weeks after microdiscectomy back surgery would not be expected to prevent a recurrent problem.

No matter how much microdiscectomy is lauded, the resultant "deflation" of the previously normal cushioning disc leaves its anatomy abnormal and more susceptible to future problems than before the herniation. And let's not forget Watt is also coming off of bilateral sports hernia surgery (which, as I have posted in the past, has been associated with significant underlying hip pathology in most cases) which would bring his core into additional question.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Watt returned to practice today wearing a hefty core support.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Newton also returned to practice today.
Of course, Brown did not.
Akeem Dent is still in the Concussion Protocol

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Today's practice does not seem to be a full contact practice.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Aaron Wilson ‏@AaronWilson_NFL 22m22 minutes ago


Texans rookie center Nick Martin on injured reserve, says he'll be ready for spring workouts: 'Absolutely, I'll be ready by then.'

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

John McClain ‏@McClain_on_NFL 1h1 hour ago


OBrien on what he wants 2 c from Watt, Newton "First, u want 2 c the level of conditioning. Can they sustain plays in drives."

Fatigue will indeed be a major fact. This is one of the major risk factors in players returning from injury. Specifically, in the case of Watt after a microdiscectomy, the lumbar (back muscles) tend to become notoriously very quickly fatigued for many months postoperatively (this is what makes this procedure's full performance recovery period so long). This is important to understand, as when generalized or localized fatigue occurs during a game, especially when "pushed" to its limits, the risk of injuries quickly multiplies.

 

[JamTex]

Fatigue will indeed be a major fact. This is one of the major risk factors in players returning from injury. Specifically, in the case of Watt after a microdiscectomy, the lumbar (back muscles) tend to become notoriously very quickly fatigued for many months postoperatively (this is what makes this procedure's full performance recovery period so long). This is important to understand, as when generalized or localized fatigue occurs during a game, especially when "pushed" to its limits, the risk of injuries quickly multiplies.

I hope the Texans training staff keeps a close eye on him and I hope the coaches limit his snap counts. Would be very bad for him to aggravate his back and be out longer.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

No Timetable For Duane Brown's Return To the Houston Texans


Duane Brown closing on his return to the Houston Texans but there is no set timetable.

Duane Brown has been relatively silent since his injury. That has been due to his focus on rehabbing a quad injury suffered at the end of the 2015 season which required nine months to a year in rehab for Brown to get back to full strength.

The Texans opted not to put Brown on the regular season PUP list, which would have kept him off the field for at least six weeks. The veteran left tackle will return before that six week window, but the exact time is still unknown.

“Not yet. We’re still working on that. Just taking it a day at a time right now,” said Brown regarding when he could return. “It’s progressing very well. Getting back on the field, doing position specific things, getting in shape. Everything is going great right now. I haven’t put a day or a week yet on when I’ll be out there, but I’m just trying to keep going.”

The torn quadriceps in his right leg is an injury that needs to be monitored closely, especially with the strain that is put on the muscle due to Brown’s size. The Texans and their medical staff have to make sure that he has no setbacks before he takes the field.

Brown talked about how well his quad is feeling.

“A whole lot better. It’s like night and day.” He continued, “Keeping my swelling under control. Being able to go out there and just have consecutive days of hard work.”

It will continue to be a process to get Brown back on the field but the return of the most tenured Texans player on the roster will be an added plus when he is able to contribute to the team’s performance once more.

*******************************


As I've emphasized in the past, a very difficult injury for a player his size. We can only hope for the best for if/when he returns.

 

[kiwitexansfan]

Should we expect "keeping swelling under control' to be a normal part of the process in his return to football?

To me doesn't sound like a good thing.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Should we expect "keeping swelling under control' to be a normal part of the process in his return to football?

To me doesn't sound like a good thing.

When knee swelling occurs after a patellar tendon repair, it reflects an inflammatory process. It is expected early in the rehab period. If after most of the rehab is completed this swelling continues or recurs, the player needs to a R.I.C.E. routine until the swelling resolves, then again gradually try to return to the activity level where the swelling was created. Ignoring this sign is fraught with potential consequences.

 

[sandman]

OK, I'm confused. There is an entire thread dedicated to JJ's off season surgery, yet there is pertinent information being discussed about it here in the Training Camp Injury Thread...

 

[kiwitexansfan]

Mod's can we perhaps change the thread title to just Injury thread?

 

[badboy]

CLoak and or Otisbean, I am interested in what painkillers and the amount(s) Brown, Watt and Clowney would be taking during an actual regular season game. All three of these players had horrific injuries and I would think all will probably be under pain management programs but I guess would continue under medications to limit pain from restricting player's performance. Am I correct? Also what (for lack of a better word) control does NFL have over teams? We know that steroids and concussions, etc went on for years before NFL began addressing them.

I apologize for poor wording but hope you can get what I am asking.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

CLoak and or Otisbean, I am interested in what painkillers and the amount(s) Brown, Watt and Clowney would be taking during an actual regular season game. All three of these players had horrific injuries and I would think all will probably be under pain management programs but I guess would continue under medications to limit pain from restricting player's performance. Am I correct? Also what (for lack of a better word) control does NFL have over teams? We know that steroids and concussions, etc went on for years before NFL began addressing them.

I apologize for poor wording but hope you can get what I am asking.

Your questions about use/distribution/dosages in NFL players are impossible to speak to. Besides saying that Toradol, which is not really a narcotic pain med (it is actually an antiinflamatory that results in decreased pain from injured tissues) and Vicodin (now lessened in use since the FDA recently reclassified it to a highly audited narcotic, and now being supplanted by many physicians by another narcotic Ultram (tramadol) is one of the first line meds.........doses are dependent on many factors. And none of these drugs are benign even when used as directed. Pain is a funny thing when it comes to football injuries where players, coaches and the NFL want the game to go on. Many times, in order to try to play though it, it just cannot be controlled without going way outside the dangerous dosage limits or the recommended drugs (like obtaining Oxycontin)..........too many times, it cannot even be controlled with "crazy" doses. But it really doesn't matter what the team doctors prescribe, since if a player believes he needs more or different drugs, they can and routinely do seek and obtain it through many available legal sources (through another physician that does not know that another has already prescribe meds for the same condition or doesn't care), or all too often through illegal means.

Here is an excerpt of an "Outside the Lines" piece that gives you an inside look into the problem. Although this article was written several years ago, it still holds true today.:

Researchers found retired players who misused prescription painkillers while playing in the NFL were three times more likely to misuse the drugs today than those who used the pills as prescribed while playing.

"That's pretty amazing that misuse now is determined by whether [the former players] misused while in the NFL," Cottler said.

"People will often continue to use drugs for reasons that are different than the reasons that they started using them," said Strain. "My concern would be that these players start using these drugs for pain-relieving purposes but then could find that they're unable to function without the use of these drugs."

Dan Johnson, who played tight end for the Miami Dolphins in the mid-1980s, said he became addicted to painkillers after two back surgeries that were necessary because of injuries he suffered as a player.

Dan Johnson, former Miami Dolphins tight end, says he took nearly 1,000 painkillers a month to overcome pain from his playing days.
"I was taking about a thousand Vicodins a month," he said. "You know, people go 'That's impossible. You're crazy.' No, that was exactly what I was taking."

He said he acquired the drugs through acquaintances, over the Internet and from overseas shipments.

He broke so many bones during his playing days that teammates called him "The King of Pain." Yet his addiction to painkillers had him contemplating suicide.

"A few times," he said, struggling to control his emotions.

Johnson said he ended his addiction with the help of Suboxone, a narcotic used to treat opioid dependence.

The Washington University researchers found that 63 percent of the retired players who used prescription pain pills while playing in the NFL obtained the medications from a nonmedical source.

Another more recent "Outside the Lines" article on the same subject.


This probably didn't give you the answers you were seeking, but unfortunately any answers are too muddle by too many factors.

 

[badboy]

Thanks for input and article. Hard to believe Dan Johnson was able to take over 30 Vikes per day and live to tell about it.

 

[austins23]

Thanks for input and article. Hard to believe Dan Johnson was able to take over 30 Vikes per day and live to tell about it.

That is crazy. I have a bad back and get by with injections twice a year. Doc prescribes me Vicodin, take 2 every 12 hours or as needed for pain, something like that. I get nervous taking 4 per week! I'm sure the dose I'm taking isn't what he had, nor the pain factor but damn, 30 a day!? The two I may take once every ten days or so gets me buzzing really good, how do you function on 30?

 

[badboy]

That is crazy. I have a bad back and get by with injections twice a year. Doc prescribes me Vicodin, take 2 every 12 hours or as needed for pain, something like that. I get nervous taking 4 per week! I'm sure the dose I'm taking isn't what he had, nor the pain factor but damn, 30 a day!? The two I may take once every ten days or so gets me buzzing really good, how do you function on 30?

yeah I cannot see NFL finally getting concerned about players wobbling out to huddle after concussion and then trying to do their job yet allow a player on large amounts painkillers on field. If they think the lawsuits from former players have been troubling and a black eye on the NFL; just wait.I am hoping Watt's mother tells him to put down the HEB premium meats and creamy creation ice cream and rethink his playing so soon

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Bottom line is that to this very day, NFL players find a way to obtain "pain meds" any way they can in order to be able to play................even when it is clear that they shouldn't play.

 

[pirbroke]

Hey do you think JJ still needs that arm brace? It's been a few years I think, maybe it's in his head, or it just looks bad ass, I don't know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[infantrycak]

Hey do you think JJ still needs that arm brace? It's been a few years I think, maybe it's in his head, or it just looks bad ass, I don't know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

He said he was going to wear it prophylactically for the rest of his career shortly after returning to play.

 

[TheRealJoker]

Will Fuller (hamstring) limited in practice today per rotoworld.

 

[TejasTom]

Hey do you think JJ still needs that arm brace?

He said his grandmother told him it was easier for her to find him on the field when he was wearing it.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Texans DE J.J. Watt doesn't plan to play any differently after surgery
6:37 PM CT

• Sarah BarshopESPN Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- Though Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is recovering from back surgery, he insists nothing will change about the way he plays this season.

"I don't think you are going to see any difference in games," Watt said. "You wouldn't notice anything different on game day and how I approach it. I am going to try and play every single play. I am going to play as hard as I possibly can."

But though he will play just as hard, Watt said he will train smarter. "Where the change is going to come is in the offseason workouts, in the practice week and how I structure it and how I handle it," Watt said. "I've gotten smarter. I've learned more about how to deal with my body and I've learned that I can't just keep pounding, pounding, pounding and grinding through everything.

"I need to be smarter about what I do. I have a good plan in place now. I feel really good. Obviously, I have fresh legs right now. I'm going to carry this through the season."

Watt, who is expected to play in the season opener Sunday against the Chicago Bears, said he feels like he can do "anything and everything" he is asked to do. "I feel no limitations whatsoever," Watt said. "My body feels a lot better than it did the whole second half of last year. I'm a guy that likes to play every play. I'm a guy that likes to go out there and do whatever I can to help the team win. If they let me do that, great. If they put a play count on me, I'll fight it as hard as I can."

Watt has not missed a game in his five-year NFL career, playing in 85 consecutive games, including playoffs. Watt has played in 89.9 percent of the Texans' defensive snaps since he was drafted in 2011, which is the highest percentage among all defensive linemen, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Since 2012, Watt has played in 92.8 percent of the team's defensive snaps.

And so, though Watt said the coaching staff might be cautious and put some limitations on what he can do or how long he can play, he plans to fight to play as much as he has in the past.

"I'm sure that they are going to try to put some limitations on me and we are going to have that conversation here as the week goes on," Watt said. "The way that I felt in the last two practices, I don't feel it's necessary. My body feels great. My conditioning level feels great."

Watt said this has been a tough offseason after going through two surgeries and two rehabs, but it has changed his perspective to not take his health for granted.

"It definitely gives you a new outlook, kind of a fresh approach," Watt said. "You see things from a different light when you're going through stuff like that and you go through the ups and downs.

"There have been some days where it has sucked, where it absolutely sucked, but I really enjoyed the adversity that we faced and I enjoyed having to overcome those things and challenges that I really haven't had before. I hope to never have an offseason like this again. But I definitely learned and grew from it."

************************

Maybe training smarter means that you won't see the tire rolls and the 5 + foot box jumps.

In an interview today, he stated that he will fight being limited in the game in any way. In less than a week of being back to practice, this is the voice of 15 year old, not of what should be an intelligent mature adult elite athlete. Hopefully, this time the medical and coaching staff have more sense than that.

I do not know of a surgeon that after the injuries/surgeries that Watt has experienced, would not emphasize that he should not only adjust the way he trains but also the way he plays. What he "feels" like in a practice now is nothing that will reflect that which occurs in the course of a real game. Never underestimate what can happen to a non fully-rehabbed/strengthened back and abdominal core when an OLineman bends you back and twists you from the side (back/abdominal support brace or not) or when you are suddenly cut block.......these are things that don't come up in "friendly" intra team practices......

 

[infantrycak]

How would you expect him to adjust the way he plays?

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

How would you expect him to adjust the way he plays?

He would need to be much more aware of protecting himself from being suddenly pushed backward or forward at an exaggerated angle at the waist. He would do well to minimize spin moves and be very attentive to avoid being caught by a cut block or a block from the side resulting in a violent twisting of his body. All of these important safety precautions would necessitate some attempt to play with a concentrated awareness and slowing of his game.

 

[infantrycak]

Sounds like he might as well give up playing.

 

[thunderkyss]

He would need to be much more aware of protecting himself from being suddenly pushed backward or forward at an exaggerated angle at the waist. He would do well to minimize spin moves and be very attentive to avoid being caught by a cut block or a block from the side resulting in a violent twisting of his body. All of these important safety precautions would necessitate some attempt to play with a concentrated awareness and slowing of his game.

What's that big waistband do for him?

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

What's that big waistband do for him?

The back part is solid so that he can't easily be folded backwards, and at the same time, the abdomen is better supported. The problem becomes that at first it may be protective, but the longer it is worn, the more it is relied upon instead of the muscles that stabilize the core. This is much like what studies have shown in workers such as those that work in grocery stores or warehouses that wear the suspendered wide waist bands for when they do their heavy lifting............that these back supports actually encourage back problems/weakness since the supporting muscles are relieved of their normal duties.

 

[badboy]

The back part is solid so that he can't easily be folded backwards, and at the same time, the abdomen is better supported. The problem becomes that at first it may be protective, but the longer it is worn, the more it is relied upon instead of the muscles that stabilize the core. This is much like what studies have shown in workers such as those that work in grocery stores or warehouses that wear the suspendered wide waist bands for when they do their heavy lifting............that these back supports actually encourage back problems/weakness since the supporting muscles are relieved of their normal duties.

interesting info that I was unaware of, thanks

 

[Brisco_County]

Tough rehab had J.J. Watt worried about playing football again

...

Coming off back surgery, J.J. Watt insists he's going to play "as hard as I possibly can" on Sunday ... but he'll train smarter.

As he lay for 10 straight days in a Philadelphia hotel room, Watt said he was overwhelmed with the rehab process and his inability to even walk or get out of bed.

"When I was in Philadelphia after the first surgery, there were some days there where I really questioned whether or not I'd ever be able to play again," Watt said. "Just some of the stuff we were dealing with from a rehab standpoint. And just the way that the recovery was going early on."

The turning point came during Super Bowl week in San Francisco, Watt said. Watt had been having a hard time getting out of bed and moving around. Watt said he and the Texans' coordinator of rehabilitation, Roland Ramirez, had been working on an aggressive approach to his rehab, but he was not seeing a lot of progress.

...

"No, there was never a doubt," Watt said. "Those guys were awesome in helping me and also awesome in being willing to have an aggressive approach. After a surgery, the rehab can go one of many ways, and these guys were willing to accept my aggressive style, and we did it in a smart fashion, but we did it in a way that we knew that this really wasn't going to be an issue."

Link

I wonder what the "aggressive" approach involved.

 

[Brisco_County]

Fuller has a hamstring per Chron.com. Still expected to start.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Duke Thomas was waived by the Texans from injured reserve with an injury settlement. He suffered an undisclosed injury 2 weeks ago in preseason.

 

[Marcus]

Sounds like he might as well give up playing.

Exactly what came to my mind when I read that.

If he needs to have concentrated awareness of the safety precautions that doc outlined, and I'm not disputing them in the least, then that presents a vulnerability that the opposition can exploit, and I fully expect that the Bears will test it.

 

[Sigma]

The back part is solid so that he can't easily be folded backwards, and at the same time, the abdomen is better supported. The problem becomes that at first it may be protective, but the longer it is worn, the more it is relied upon instead of the muscles that stabilize the core. This is much like what studies have shown in workers such as those that work in grocery stores or warehouses that wear the suspendered wide waist bands for when they do their heavy lifting............that these back supports actually encourage back problems/weakness since the supporting muscles are relieved of their normal duties.

Would this problem arise if he uses the support only during games?

Since this is a known issue I imagine he would train accounting for that. Not using the support most of the time, and putting it on only for games where the extra protection is necessary and (I suppose) the muscles don't have time to "give up their role" since it's *just* a few hours of exercise

 

[otisbean]

There's a concept in training called joint centration. It basically means keeping the joints centered in their proper position. Looking at the shoulder, it's a ball and socket joint, so picture a golf ball sitting on a large tee. Now, imagine wrapping the ball and the tee in plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap holds the ball on the tee. If you try to move the ball forward or backward toward the either lip of the tee, it would stretch and strain the plastic wrap. Move it far enough and the plastic wrap might tear. If you wrap the ball and tee in much thicker plastic wrap, it would be harder to move the ball on the tee.

I'm sure you're thinking what the heck does this have to do with JJ, his back and his ability to play football? Well, you have a centrated position for the spine, where the forces are equalized on the discs. What JJ has to do is be very cognizant of this position as he trains and plays. He also needs to build all of his core musculature and learn to properly stabilize his spine during movement to prevent any unwanted motion- think super thick plastic wrap holding the golf ball in the middle of the tee. It's tough to do during a game because you've got other huge guys pushing/pulling/hitting you. As you can imagine he's got to be VERY strong to prevent this. Also, as I mentioned, he needs to be aware of his body positions as he plays. To me this might be the toughest part. Re learning movement patterns can be tough, it takes time and lots of reps. This is my concern with the short time frame from surgery to playing in the first game. As Doc has mentioned, he's already had major surgery to repair some key core muscles. Has he had enough time to rebuild his strength and learn the positions that he needs to be in to keep himself in the proper posture to protect his spine while playing? I hope so

 

[utahmark]

Looks like MCL for Cushing http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...njuries-brian-cushing-tears-mcl-out-six-weeks

 

[srrono]

Looks like MCL for Cushing http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...njuries-brian-cushing-tears-mcl-out-six-weeks

This kid needs to seriously consider retirement.

 

[PapaL]

CnD - Thoughts on Cushing? He seemed to finally be getting some mobility back. Is this a death blow as far as mobility and cutting is concerned? Thanks.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

CnD - Thoughts on Cushing? He seemed to finally be getting some mobility back. Is this a death blow as far as mobility and cutting is concerned? Thanks.

If indeed is it is an MCL, and they are calling him out for 6 weeks............here are the facts as a generality........all these injury recoveries carry variability due to variable factors involved. But if it is a Grade I, you can expect at least a 1-2 week period without practice............a Grade II. at least a 2-4 week period (then still wearing a brace)...........a Grade III, at least a 6 week period (then still wearing a brace). Even a Grade III seldom goes to surgery, unless the ligament is severely damaged like shredded, or involved with a fracture, or show a chronic instability). However, in the case of the Grade III tear, variability in the healing period is greatest. I suspect, with the released information of 6 weeks (unless they truly mean return to regular game play consistent with a Grade II) that this is a Grade III instead of a Grade II, and it is likely he will not practice for 6 weeks and won't return for a regular season game until 8 weeks. Without any additional information this is the best that I can break it down. No matter what, this injury is likely to further compromise his cutting and lateral mobility.

 

[Seegara]

What about JJ today? I didn't see any sign that he reinjured himself.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Cushing's MCL is a Grade II tear and it is said that he is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. I doubt he returns before 6 weeks.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

What about JJ today? I didn't see any sign that he reinjured himself.

Re-injury to repaired structures would be expected to be most evident with strain of muscles.......abdominal and/or back. His performance was significantly compromised today, so it would be difficult to detect unless severe. Last year, the Texans made the fan base believe that his compromised performance was due to his club hand..............while he was actually dealing with disk and bilateral sports hernia tears.........until the end, when it was so severe,he could no longer function. For sure, he was easily pushed around, taken to ground and if you watched when he tried to raise his hand and arch his back to try to slap the ball, he could not fully extend his arm up in the air nor totally arch his back. These are more strains that become noticeable in the 24-48 hours following trauma (the same time frame before many injuries are even appreciated_. No matter what, it is evident that he was winded off and on and was not ready (muscle strength and range of motion) in any way to return to full game trauma this soon.

 

[ObsiWan]

Re-injury to repaired structures would be expected to be most evident with strain of muscles.......abdominal and/or back. His performance was significantly compromised today, so it would be difficult to detect unless severe. Last year, the Texans made the fan base believe that his compromised performance was due to his club hand..............while he was actually dealing with disk and bilateral sports hernia tears.........until the end, when it was so severe,he could no longer function. For sure, he was easily pushed around, taken to ground and if you watched when he tried to raise his hand and arch his back to try to slap the ball, he could not fully extend his arm up in the air nor totally arch his back. These are more strains that become noticeable in the 24-48 hours following trauma (the same time frame before many injuries are even appreciated_. No matter what, it is evident that he was winded off and on and was not ready (muscle strength and range of motion) in any way to return to full game trauma this soon.

Don't care for that last sentence says about our medical staff.