You had a good fantasy draft. You had it this year. You really did. You combined the experience and a good amount of research and thought, “this is finally going to be my year, there’s no way I’m not winning.” Then, an unlucky, brutal, unfair injury occurs to an early round pick. The uncertainty of how long a player will be on the sidelines can be pretty disturbing. Due to the high contact nature of the sport, football is one of the leading sports in the category of injuries. Football players play at extremely high speeds as well, which does not combine well with constant abrupt contact. Here is your latest week 5 injury report from the NFL.
Let’s talk about our quarterbacks from last season’s NFC championship game. Cam Newton and Carson Palmer are both on the NFL’s concussion protocol list after they both suffered potential concussions. Newton suffered yet another helmet-to-helmet hit during a two-point conversion, while Palmer slammed his head onto the turf. A concussion is a brain injury resulting from a direct or indirect blow to the head, face, or jaw causing a negative change in brain function. Sudden acceleration of the head immediately followed by a deceleration is the primary cause of concussions. Simply put, a concussion changes the way our brain functions and causes it work less optimally. The most common symptoms are headache, nausea, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. It is difficult to place a return to-play date as concussions vary in severity.
There are numerous procedures an athlete must clear before being declared as fit to play again. The NFL’s concussion protocol is strict on players having to clear the baseline testing, a comparison of a player’s mental state at the beginning of the season, and after the concussion. The neurocognitive test analyzes an individual through complex matching, memory recall, and colour and shape recognition. The post-injury test scores must match the initial test scores at the beginning of the season for the athlete to be cleared for action. On top of that, a qualified physician must also give consent to clearance. A concussion can sideline a player for weeks to months; players can be ruled out of the entire season once a serious concussion has been diagnosed, but a recovery during the season is common for many players, so losing hope too early can be costly.
Football players place a lot of stress on the knee. Wide receivers and running backs make hard cuts to avoid tacklers and line backers usually carry more than 250 pounds of weight while colliding head on with other players. As a result, the anterior and the posterior cruciate ligament (ACL/PCL) injuries are always one of the main injuries that can sideline a player for a long time. The ACL and PCL are ligaments that connect the tibia to the femur and runs diagonally in the middle of the knee, acting as a stabilizer. The ACL, along with the PCL is one of the major ligaments that support the knee. A completely torn ACL or PCL usually results in reconstruction surgery, which means a player is usually done for the season. Even without non-surgical procedures, the rehabilitation may take several weeks to months.
The words “ACL” usually strikes fear into fantasy owners, but a good recovery is not impossible. Vikings’ star running back Adrian Peterson is a prime example of a successful rehabilitation from an ACL tear. 8 months after tearing his ACL and MCL, Peterson came back in a phenomenal 2012 season and won MVP. And 2 weeks ago, he suffered a torn meniscus on right knee and is ruled out until mid-November. Ouch. Cowboys’ star receiver Dez Bryant was originally diagnosed with an medial collateral ligament sprain after week 6; it turned out to be a slight fracture on his tibia, or the shin bone. However, there is still uncertainty regarding whether or not it is a fracture or a bone contusion. Regardless, the bone tissue must be given time to heal, so Bryant could be rested for anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks.
The Broncos’ are number one in the power rankings and are adjusting quiet well to the life without Peyton Manning, as rookie QB Trevor Siemian is showing plenty of potential. The Broncos’ QB injured his shoulder, specifically the acromioclavicular joint, where the collarbone or the clavicle, meets the acromion, the highest point of the shoulder. Patriots’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo also suffered the same injury, and has been out since. However, Siemian’s injury is to his non-throwing arm, so the Broncos are quite optimistic that he will return fairly soon. Do not be surprised if Paxton Lynch starts the next game for the Superbowl champions.
If you have any questions to ask a physio, ask away at askburquitampt@gmail.com!
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