Saquan, McCaffrey and Everyone Else

If you’re in a fantasy league or follow professional football at all, you’re probably familiar with the names Saquan Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. Odds are they were the first two picks, or at least first round picks, in your fantasy draft this season, and if you read our preseason NFL blog, you’ll remember that Barkley made the list of guys coming off a lower body injury last season.

Barkley injured his ankle last year and missed some time, and while we didn’t see it as a problem heading into this year, we did note that the team would likely be cautious with him if he suffered another injury that he wanted to rush back from this year. The team won’t have a hard decision ahead of them this time, as today’s MRI revealed that Barkley suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. Team officials said Barkley would have surgery in the “near future” to address the torn ligament. The bright spot here being that it occurred early in the season, so assuming all goes as planned, he should be able to make a full recovery ahead of next season. How productive he’ll be is another question, but he has youth and strength on his side, so we aren’t betting against him.

Another star running back that will be forced to miss some time with a lower body injury is Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey injured his right ankle while being tackled on a touchdown run on the second half. McCaffrey hobbled to the sideline and did not return to the contest. First impressions of the injury and McCaffrey’s ability to walk on the foot suggested that it was a somewhat minor ankle injury, but an MRI revealed that he was dealing with a high ankle sprain. He’s now expected to be out 4-6 weeks with the injury.

Interestingly, Barkley dealt with this same injury last year, and he was only sidelined three weeks despite early projections that had him missing 6-8 weeks. However, Barkley was still clearly hampered by the injury when he returned, and he wasn’t as effective. The Panthers would be wise to give their franchise running back plenty of time to heal so his ankle ligaments can properly strengthen and he’s not at at an elevated risk for re-injury upon return. There are different levels of ankle injuries, but we’d guess he won’t be close to normal for at least a month, even if he does get back on the field before then.

Other notable injuries around the league:

Nick Bosa – ACL – Out for the year.

Davante Adams – Hamstring – Waiting on more news, but he was likely held out because the game was a blowout at that point, so we’d expect him back on the field in Week 3.

Courtland Sutton – ACL – Out for the year.

Jimmy Garoppolo – High Ankle Sprain – Expected to miss a few weeks.

Raheem Mostert – Mild MCL sprain – Expected to be back sooner rather than later, may miss a few games.

The post Breaking Down The High Profile NFL Injuries appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.

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.

The post Dr. Silverman Analyzes Saquon Barkley’s High Ankle Sprain appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.