That post may become a classic ! WPS
I wonder if any of the coaches have had a secret foot surgery then.
Instant classic. Literally laughed out loud.
Yup, that was a good one!
I did a quick search, found this.
http://lermagazine.com/article/how-foot … todays-nfl
One could argue this ain’t the NFL I suppose. Also, someone could spend a little more time searching…
:lol:
Goldsurfer get the attaboy for this find. I loved the information and especially this:
"Among NFL medical staff, there are a number of theories about what is leading to the increase in incidence of foot and ankle injuries. The focus is on the increased forces or the “bigger-stronger-faster factor.” With shoes getting lighter (and often less stable) while experiencing higher levels of traction and friction thanks to evolutions in playing surface technology, the forces acting on the foot and ankle complex are simply too high to survive, both on a traumatic and a chronic basis.
One injury in which this is apparent is Jones fractures. Several star NFL players, including three named Jones, have had this specific kind of fracture. The injury has happened almost exclusively to receivers and to defensive backs, which indicates it’s an issue of function. The hard cuts necessary to the positions are generating too much force for the fifth metatarsal to hold up. Again, this likely has a chronic component with repetitive stress from these maneuvers, followed by a straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back trauma forcing the fracture.
In addition, there is a significant re-injury risk with Jones fractures. Even after surgery to install an intermedullary screw, many have needed a revision of this operation or a secondary operation to use a bone graft to further stabilize the bone. Changes in the treatment, such as going immediately to the bone graft, have not shown a decrease in the incidence of setbacks.
While Jones fractures are still relatively rare, it does appear the incidence rate is increasing at all levels. The increase in incidence at elite levels indicates strongly that the “bigger-stronger-faster” is a key component in this; NFL athletes are usually all three, while equipment and physical demands are roughly the same at every level from high school up.
In fact, the size-speed combination appears to be predictive. Elite receivers like Julio Jones and Dez Bryant—both of whom have suffered Jones fractures—combine height, size, and speed, which translates into force on the hard cuts. In most situations (but not all), the players have artificial turf in their home fields and almost all of them were playing on them when injured.
Researchers from OrthoCarolina Foot & Ankle Institute in Charlotte, NC, performed a recent study analyzing 34 Jones fractures in the NFL between 2004 and 2014.3 The return rate was high and predictable (all returned to play, and 80% were still playing when the study was published), but first author Craig Lareau, MD, who is now a foot and ankle surgeon with New England Orthopedic Surgeons in Springfield, MA, said the recurrence rate is the biggest issue. Twelve percent of athletes needed a repeat of the surgical procedure, the study found, which raises questions about the efficacy of current techniques in high-level, high-impact athletes.
Chao questioned the use of the surgical screw itself and wonders whether its shape could be improved.
“I’ve altered the technique slightly and seen results in a small sample,” he said.
There is very little in the way of research on Jones fractures or even related conditions in American football players. But, if we look across the ocean at the wealth of research on European soccer players, there’s a lot that can translate, despite the differing physical demands of the two sports. For example, a 2013 Swedish study4 of fifth metatarsal fractures in 64 elite European soccer teams found—as Lareau’s NFL study did—that the injury was particularly common in the youngest players. Interestingly, the Swedish study also found that 45% of injuries were associated with a prodromal period, which suggests an opportunity for early intervention that NFL teams might find worth exploring.
However, the specifics of the foot and ankle complex injuries involve unique issues that could affect injury prevention efforts. It’s impossible to upgrade the basic human anatomy, and it would be difficult to make wholesale changes to currently popular footwear designs. But that would suggest an opportunity for customization within the framework of the shoe, such as orthotic devices and other interventions that augment what is available.
When does Alexy Jean Baptiste come back from his foot injury? It should be a matter of weeks right?