The Tennessee Titans prevailed in overtime yesterday against the Indianapolis Colts, but they may have suffered a big loss going forward, as they fear that Derrick Henry may be lost for the season with a Jones fracture in his foot.
Nothing is certain, and Henry is undergoing an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the damage, but the team is reportedly concerned that he’s dealing with a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his foot, also known as a Jones fracture.
If the Jones fracture is confirmed, surgery is all but certain, which would likely put an end to Henry’s season, but there’s still a possibility that he could return during the playoffs, as you’ll see by reading Dr. Silverman’s comments on the injury and treatment below.
Henry has been the NFL’s best rusher this season, with 937 yards on the year, 353 more yards than any other player this season. His 10 rushing touchdowns are also best in the league, so the injury, if confirmed, is a huge blow to the Titans.
Dr. Silverman Comments
Jones fractures are one of the trickier types of fractures to manage, simply because the healing rate without surgery is so poor. Blood supply to that area of the foot isn’t the greatest, which can lead to delayed healing if a person takes the conservative approach. That still requires about 6-10 weeks of casting and being non-weight bearing. Even when those protocols are followed, more than 40 percent of patients won’t heal correctly.
With Jones fractures, surgery is considered the smartest and most practical approach. The surgical incision is only one centimeter long and takes about 20-30 minutes for a skilled orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon needs to be absolutely precise when addressing and stabilizing the fracture so that it heals correctly, and I have learned from skilled orthopedic surgeons over the years how to avoid some of the pitfalls that can plague this procedure.
When performed correctly, surgery allows the patient to walk right away. This is also one of the interesting cases where recovery time is actually shorter if you pursue surgery instead of conservative care. The majority of people are back to normal activities within 7-8 weeks, unless they have a setback. Some issues that could cause a setback include:
- Surgery wasn’t precise enough (unlikely give Henry’s access to the best surgeons in the country).
- Undiagnosed bio-mechanical issues with his feet.
- Poor diet including low levels of Vitamin D.
- Infection onset.
Now what’s normal to Henry is not normal to the average human being, so there’s a chance that even if everything goes well, he might be out for the entire season, but if the Titans make a deep playoff run, anything is possible. With that said, it seems highly likely that Henry’s regular season is done if he does in fact have a Jones fracture. We wish him the best in his recovery.