The New York Giants got their first win of the season yesterday behind the heroic efforts of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, and Jones’ effort was even more impressive when you consider that he did most of his work without the Giants’ best offensive weapon in Saquon Barkley. Barkey was knocked out of the game late in the second quarter with what the team is calling a high ankle sprain.
As you can see in the following video, Barkley’s right ankle gets twisted as he lands and plants his weight through his right leg. He hobbled off the field and was tended to by trainers. He later returned to the sidelines in a walking boot and with crutches. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI this afternoon, but the team believes he’s dealing with a high ankle sprain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbwZ0fnMbxk
If this is the true diagnosis, Barkley will certainly miss some time, although he told fans that he’s “not out for the season.”
Dr. Silverman Examines Barkley’s High Ankle Sprain
We’ve talked about high ankle sprains on the blog in the past, as they are one of the more common lower body injuries that fells professional football players. It most commonly happens on plays just like this, where a football player receives forceful contact at the ankle while their leg is planted firmly on the ground. This leads to an external rotation of the leg and knee, causing damage to not only the supportive ankle ligaments, but also to the ankle joint itself. This force leads to damage to the syndemosis, which is a tight tissue that stabilizes the bones in the leg. While this area is recovering, movement of the foot and ankle will be painful.
Another issue that Barkey will have to watch for is the potential for chronic ankle instability. If a high ankle sprain isn’t cared for correctly, the medial ligaments won’t heal like they need to and this can lead to chronic ankle instability. This opens the door for more ankle sprains down the road, but also the onset of ankle joint arthritis and the loss of push off power in the foot. As you can see, this is a very serious injury that should be cared for properly so as not to jeopardize the health of the franchise star.
The good news for Giants fans is that by all accounts, even though Daniels Jones looked pretty good yesterday, this is going to be a rebuilding year for the Giants. That means there likely won’t be a need to rush Barkley back onto the field because a playoff push seems highly unlikely. Barkley will obviously want to get back on the field in order to help his team, but doctors need to stress the importance of putting his long-term health over short term goals. Some players recover just fine in about four weeks, but this isn’t an injury that you want to rush back from if you’re not ready.
It would not be surprising to learn that the Giants end up placing Barkley on injured reserve with the potential to return after eight weeks. There’s also the possibility that he’ll only be out 4-6 weeks and the team keeps him on the 53-man roster, but again, there’s no need to rush him back if he’s not ready. Assuming the MRI confirms a high ankle sprain, expect Barkley to miss four weeks minimum, with a more reasonable timeline being 4-8 weeks, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him placed on IR with the possibility of returning after Week 11. Here’s hoping the generational talent has a speedy and full recovery.