The Kansas City Chiefs fell just short of defending their championship when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this year’s Super Bowl, but the fact that superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to play at such a high level despite dealing with a significant toe injury should not be overlooked.
Anyone who watched the NFL playoffs knew that Mahomes’ toe wasn’t 100 percent, as he was often seen hobbling or limping around between plays, but you couldn’t tell anything was bothering him while he was running around making spectacular plays for his team. Now that the season is over, Mahomes turned his attention to that nagging foot injury, and it was revealed that he was suffering from turf toe.
We’ve published pieces on turf toe and how it affects NFL players in the past, but it is an injury that occurs when the big toe joint is forced upwards, causing sprains or tears of the plantar ligaments and tendons. If not addressed properly, this tendon and ligament damage can have long-term consequences for someone like Mahomes who relies on quick and intense foot movements every time he steps on the field.
For that reason, Mahomes opted to have the turf toe injury surgically addressed by an orthopedic surgeon.
Surgery And Recovery
For severe cases, the surgeon will work to sew the ligament, also known as the plantar plate, back into place. Because it’s a thick ligament, recovery takes a fair amount of time. Oftentimes patients will wear a walking boot for around six weeks following the surgery, and even after six weeks weight bearing precautions need to be taken. He’ll undergo some physical therapy as well to help ensure he returns to normal joint flexibility and range of motion since the area has been underutilized for an extended period.
The good news for Mahomes is that the NFL offseason is pretty long, and even though he played into February, he still should have plenty of time to make a full recovery ahead of next season’s training camp. He’s young and he didn’t put off surgery until later in the offseason, which are two things that will work in his favor. I see no reason to think that he’ll be anything less than 100 percent healthy when the 2021 season rolls around, which means the Chiefs will likely be the favorites to come out of the AFC once again.
Here’s hoping his recovery stays on track and one of the stars of the NFL can return to competition with a clean bill of health.
