The Minnesota Vikings christened their new stadium with a big win over their rival Green Bay, but they also suffered a big loss in the form of an injury to Adrian Peterson.
Peterson suffered a torn right meniscus on a 5-yard run late in the third quarter. His knee twisted awkwardly as he was tackled by Packers linebacker Kyle Fackell, and Vikings fans feared the worst when Peterson was helped off the field without being able to put any weight on his right leg. Trainers helped him to the locker room, and while many thought the All-Pro running back may have suffered another ACL injury, it appears he’s “only” dealing with a torn meniscus. You can see video of the injury below.
This is the second time in this young season that the Vikings have lost a face of their franchise to a leg injury. Thankfully, Peterson’s knee injury is much less severe than the injury suffered by Teddy Bridgewater, and while it seems unlikely, head coach Mike Zimmer did not rule out the possibility than Peterson could play this weekend against the Panthers. He did mention that the team is exploring all their options when it comes to Peterson’s health.
“He’s sitting down with the doctors,” Zimmer said.
The Vikings said they will weigh all their treatment options, which includes two different surgeries to address the torn meniscus, or they may forgo surgery altogether.
“Everything we do is for the team. We’re not going to be the only team to have injuries,” Zimmer said. “So we’re going to keep plugging away.”
Dr. Silverman Comments
Peterson is a lucky man. I saw the injury when it happened live. As you can see in the video above, Peterson’s foot externally rotated and all that stress was thrust upon his knee. He could have suffered a high ankle sprain or he could have suffered a sprain to his proximal tibiofibular joint, but the stress kept going to his knee and eventually acted on his medial meniscus.
An acute meniscal tear may be repairable, but if he suffered a peripheral meniscal tear, he should undergo surgery using an arthroscopic technique. He would benefit from what’s known as a fibrin clot with platelet-rich plasma, which would be sewn into the repair site in order to expedite healing. We’ll likely find out which method Peterson will pursue in the next 48 hours, but there’s a good chance we’ll see him back on the field this season, which the Vikings will certainly need if they hope to make a deeper run in the playoffs this year.
