I thought he had just tore his ACL, but I just read today that he had Micro-Fracture surgery on top of the ACL repair. The minimum return time from that type of an injury is a full year or more. The problem with this type of surgery is that athletes rush back from the surgery because their knee feels good, and more often then not, they rush back to quick and re-injure themselves, and are never the same again.
In the NFL, I am Giants fan. The only reason I bring this up is because the Giants lost 2 terrific players due to Micro-Fracture Surgery. Kenny Philips, had the surgery going into the 2009 season due to arthritis in the knee, and he has not been the same player since then, and has chronic knee problems throughout the season.
The second player was Steve Smith. He decided to take a guaranteed contract with the Eagles, when the Giants were offering him a 2 year contract, and they were going to let him rehab his knee that year instead of rushing onto the field. The Eagles signed him and he barely played and has recently retired due to not being able to play at that level anymore.
Micro-fracture surgeries are career ending, and I hope Exum thinks long-term, and to be quite honest he probably would be more of a risk on the field over a healthier player.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/virginia-techs-antone-exum...
Comments
Even if it was just an ACL I wasn't counting on him too much. He wouldn't have been full strength until deep into the season anyway. He's still an emotional leader of the team though and needs to continue to provide that leadership for the younger guys.
Does anyone know if Exum got the same Platement Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment that Peterson and RGIII got? I thought I read that somewhere. If he did, I wonder if he'll be able to push back quickly like them.
I haven't seen PRP mentioned in any articles about his procedure, but he was treated by the same doctor as Griffin and Peterson, so I would be surprised if he didn't get that treatment.
He definitely is getting stem cell injections from Dr. Andrews during rehab.
Is it possible for Exum to sit this year and take a medical redshirt? I think DJ Coles may have done that last year. Especially if it is only available to make an impact for a quarter of the season.
pretty sure the answer is no because he redshirted his first year. pretty sure you can only get a sixth year if you lose two years to injury
If they could show that he was injured in some capacity for a portion of the season (medical records or whatever) he could still qualify
He's headed to the NFL after this season assuming he's not completely crippled.
Pretty sure RGIII did not have Microfracture Surgery. That is the big thing with Exum. Peterson came back from normal knee injuries, the micro fracture is a whole other animal and if you rush it, you can ruin your entire career.
Just by seeing Exum and other players on social media, he's providing inspiration for the Bama game just through his hard work during rehab. He's doing his job right now, even if he doesn't see the field until October.
I would not count Exum out of playing versus Alabama, but the last thing I want is anything to happen that threatens the long term health of a good kid like Exum. I can't recall a good story associated with microfracture surgery, so my confidence level has dropped significantly.
My thoughts exactly
Off the top of my head two players who had microfracture surgery were Amare Stoudemire and Jason Kidd and both of them were able to resume their careers (though at this point Amare's knees are a mess).
Guys it ruined who were never the same after the surgery:
Greg Oden, Ron Harper, Steve Yzerman, Tracy McGrady, Brian Grant, Chris Webber, Allan Houston, Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn and Terrell Brandon. To me, Stoudemire is included because he has been so limited in his ability to stay on the floor.
Guys who recovered: Jason Kidd, John Stockton, Zach Randolph
Yes. But none of them are a centaur!
You forgot Exum on your "recovered" list
Yzerman had his knee surgery in 2002 when he was 36 years old. The fact he was able to come back and put up 50 points in 03-04 seems to suggest he was able to recover. It's also at this point still a relatively new and developing procedure.
Amare was in his 20s when he had his surgery, just like Exum. He was able to get on the floor and be an All-Star so there's some hope for Exum. Oden may just be made out of glass.
Hockey players tend to not get too debilitated by knee injuries. Malkin tore up his knee 2 years ago and then 6 months later started his MVP season.
I don't get it, but I am currently eating a Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwich so...turkey leg for you.
I was just saying "Damn" that we might not have Exum for the whole season haha. Decided to make a gif to say that.
Too bad the gif references a "jubilation damn" instead of a "frustration damn". But technically the words fit.
For anyone unfamiliar, it's from a review-turned-autotune of a guy who reviews fast food burgers, specifically the one where he reviewed Five Guys. It's pretty spectacular.