Ankle and leg injuries are some of the most common injuries in sports, meaning it’s no surprise that we’ve assessed and diagnosed countless sports injuries right here on our blog. Football is a big sport for lower body injuries, as players are continually getting tackled at awkward angles. Now that training camp is underway, we thought we’d highlight five leg/foot injuries to keep an eye on, especially if your fantasy football draft is coming up soon.
Adrian Peterson – Peterson tore his ACL and MCL in the final week of the season in 2011, but he made an astounding recovery during the offseason and led the NFL in rushing last season. His season was one of the best in league history, as he only missed the single-season rushing record by nine yards after scampering for 199 yards in a must-win game against Green Bay in Week 17. Although he hasn’t suffered any setbacks with his surgically repaired ligaments, a person who has already suffered an ACL injury is more likely to suffer another ACL injury than those who have yet to tear the ligament. He’ll be the workhorse for the Vikings this season as long as his knees and ankles hold up.
Maurice Jones-Drew – Jones-Drew is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, as he suffered a midfoot fracture early in the season and was unable to return. As Dr. Silverman noted in his assessment of MJD’s injury, a midfoot fracture is problematic because it often involves more than one break. He equated the injury to “attempting to only break one part of a pretzel,” saying two parts usually end up breaking. Jones-Drew was recently cleared for practice, but the team says they don’t want to overwork him early. If he is truly back to full health, Jones-Drew could put up big numbers in a contract year.
Robert Griffin III – Adrian Peterson’s ACL was the most talked about ligament last offseason, but no ACL has garnered more attention this offseason than Robert Griffin’s reconstructed ligament. Last year’s rookie sensation underwent surgery during the offseason to address a torn ACL he suffered in the playoff loss to Seattle. Although he too has received medical clearance, many people wonder if he’ll be able to be as mobile as he was in 2012, when he rushed for 815 yards and seven touchdowns, including this 76-yard scamper that may be tough to view for some Vikings fans. Griffin will likely miss the entire preseason, just like Peterson did last year, but he is expected to be under center come Week 1.
Troy Polamalu – Polamalu missed nine games last season with a nagging calf injury, but the All-Pro safety says he’s healthy entering 2013. The concern for Polamalu is that his injury took a long time to heal, and any re-injury to his calf or to his troublesome knees could keep him sidelined for another long stint this season. The 11-year veteran is the leader of the Steel Curtain, and the Steelers will need him on the field if they want to make any noise in the AFC North this season.
Jonathan Stewart – Stewart was limited to nine games in 2012 due to an injury to his left ankle. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in January, and although doctors said his left ankle has successfully healed, he is still dealing with issues in his right ankle stemming from an injury that occurred during the preseason last year. He was placed on the Physically Unable to Preform list last week, meaning he’ll continue to miss vital time in training camp. He hopes to be ready for Week 1, but it appears the door is open for Mike Tolbert and DeAngelo Williams to grab the reigns as the feature back in Carolina.