Interesting info on the surgery that was performed on Drew Brees (1 Viewer)

[Dan in Lafayette]

I originally posted this in the "Coach Pete Partially Retracts His Statement about Brees not Playing this Year", but I thought it might deserve its own thread. Hopefully those with more knowledge of surgical medicine and physical therapy could chime in.

I found an interesting medical journal abstract about the type of surgery that Drew had. It is fairly new. Here is part of the abstract of a medical article co-authored by Dr. Shin:

Abstract

One of the most commonly injured structures of the thumb metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint is the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). An acute injury of this ligament is often amenable to primary repair. Despite the favorable outcomes of primary repair, the thumb is often restricted during initial healing of the ligament with immobilization and delayed rehabilitation. We present a novel technique to augment the repair of the UCL with suture tape to provide immediate biomechanical support and strength during the critical time of ligament healing. We describe the surgical technique of suture tape augmentation for thumb UCL repair.

Here's another excerpt from the abstract:

We present a representative case of a professional basketball player treated with this novel procedure. After the surgical repair, the patient was placed in a plaster splint for 3 days to immobilize the thumb and wrist. At 3 days postsurgery, the splint was removed and therapy initiated. Practice drills were initiated at 1 week postsurgery with the use of a removable hand-based thumb spica custom splint. During the entire postoperative period, the left thumb MCP joint had excellent stability to radial stress at full extension and 30 degrees of flexion. In addition, at 3 weeks postsurgery, the patient was able to oppose the thumb tip to the palmar-digital crease of the small finger and MCP joint motion was 0 to 50 degrees. The patient began strengthening exercises at this time, along with the ability to participate in all position-specific drills. At 5 weeks postsurgery, the patient was cleared to return to full play, without use of a splint.

Here is what I took from this medical Abstract. The procedure Dr. Shin uses allows for rehab to start very quickly after after surgery as opposed to keeping the thumb immobilized for a much longer time. It can shorten the usual return to play from 6 weeks to as low as 4 weeks because the rehab starts much earlier. Brees is probably out of his cast now and probably doing "practice drills".

All that being said, and the position of the bye week in the schedule, he should wait until after that. But knowing Drew and his work ethic he will be itching to come back the week before the bye.

 

[saints4eva]

Thanks Dan, that's a professional article intended for use by clinicians and extremely informative.

Drew said he is out of the cast on the WWL QB to QB interview and that he's begun his rehab process.

Sounds like the technique is revolutionary for athletes but Drew also made the distinction that he's an NFL qb so he alluded to the fact that it's never been done before with anyone like him, so it's going to be a little different than a basketball player.

Truly amazing what marvels are being done in medical science today and I am sure glad Drew seems to have the very best care.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

Thanks Dan, that's a professional article intended for use by clinicians and extremely informative.

Drew said he is out of the cast on the WWL QB to QB interview and that he's begun his rehab process.

Sounds like the technique is revolutionary for athletes but Drew also made the distinction that he's an NFL qb so he alluded to the fact that it's never been done before with anyone like him, so it's going to be a little different than a basketball player.

Truly amazing what marvels are being done in medical science today and I am sure glad Drew seems to have the very best care.

I'm curious too as to how well it works on a QB's throwing hand. It has been done on pro baseball players, including pitchers, and basketball players. Since the article was from 2017, and previous surgeries have been evaluated, hopefully they have refined the procedure even further over the last couple of years.

 

[ndcc]

Big Dan: Thanks for that great, informative article.

Drew is probably going stir crazy... not being on the field. The WORST thing would be for Drew to rush his return. All bets are off if he re-injures his hand.

Off during the Bye week (9): Oct 28th - Nov 9th. Week 10 opponent is home vs. Atlanta.

 

[Cougar 1]

Thanks Dan, that's a professional article intended for use by clinicians and extremely informative.

Drew said he is out of the cast on the WWL QB to QB interview and that he's begun his rehab process.

Sounds like the technique is revolutionary for athletes but Drew also made the distinction that he's an NFL qb so he alluded to the fact that it's never been done before with anyone like him, so it's going to be a little different than a basketball player.

Truly amazing what marvels are being done in medical science today and I am sure glad Drew seems to have the very best care.

Indeed!

I remember all the early forecasts on when Sheldon would return from his Achilles injury. At first many hoped it would be the last quarter of the season, sometime around December. Then it appeared he might be ready around early November.
Despite being limited, Sheldons already been practicing the last couple of weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sees his first action sometime around mid October.

But for Drew n Sheldon, there is no need to rush back too soon! I want both to be 110% when they return!

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

...
But for Drew n Sheldon, there is no need to rush back too soon! I want both to be 110% when they return!

That's scary for them to be at 110 percent because they were already great at 100 percent. I like the way you think.

 

[crosswatt]

Mike Trout was I think the highest profile athlete to have his ligament repaired using this particular technique. He was expected to miss 6-8 weeks, and returned right around the 7th week mark, which hit somewhat organically after the All Star Break. No idea what that would mean for Brees' rehab schedule, but I think we should probably temper our expectations to seeing him back in the Falcons game week 10.

 

[sammymvpknight]

This is a little unique in that it is an NFL QB. I don’t know of any recent injuries and their outcomes. With professional football being a contact sport, I’d imagine that wouldn’t move up the timetable. I think that a 7 week return to play is most likely, but then again, Brees beat all odds after his shoulder reconstruction. That would have ended the career of just about every other QB.

 

[crosswatt]

Inside Mike Trout's procedure, recovery process

Every year, a handful of players succumb to a thumb, finger, hand or wrist injury due to a head-first slide. This year, one of them is the reigning AL MVP. Stephania Bell explains why Mike Trout might not miss as much time as expected.

www.espn.com

A good read, with this interesting tidbit towards the end:

In the case of the UCL repair with internal brace augmentation, the period of immobilization is merely a matter of days. The reinforcement offered by the tape is such that the athlete can begin range of motion activity within several days, performing strengthening and early baseball drills within a couple weeks and resumption of unrestricted baseball activities as early as four weeks, assuming all is progressing well. From that point, it becomes a matter of deciding when the athlete is ready to return to competition.

Looking for a comparison? Look no further than Trout's teammate, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who underwent a similar procedure in May of 2016. Simmons underwent surgery, also performed by Shin, to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb (like Trout, Simmons injured his non-dominant thumb). He too had the internal brace augmentation. Simmons began swinging a bat, playing catch and fielding ground balls within two weeks post-surgery. At four weeks, he began a rehab assignment and at just over a month post-injury he rejoined his major league club.

Perhaps more noteworthy is how Simmons played when he returned. For starters, he had two hits in his first game back. Although the remainder of his first week appeared to be a bit of a struggle (three hits in 23 at-bats), Simmons went on to hit .315 for the remainder of the season. And, he missed only four more days in 2016 (one for rest, three because of a contusion on his opposite hand). He has had no issues with his thumb since his return.

 

[Meachemdat]

If Drew does come back for the Atlanta game, the Falcons just need to go ahead and prepare for dome re-opening 2.0
They won't stand a snowballs chance, that place will be crazy.

 

[Bill]

When I read those details...

it moved.


Seriously, if Drew's surgery actually allowed him to start the rehab process that soon, he won't rest for a minute to get his hand back in playing shape. Drew wants to be back on the field so badly he is constantly licking his fingers as if he's getting ready to throw again.

If anyone can defy the odds of the duration of such a rehab process, the right man is on the job!

I love my quarterback!

 

[Doug B]

All that being said, and the position of the bye week in the schedule, he should wait until after that. But knowing Drew and his work ethic he will be itching to come back the week before the bye.

Agree with the bolded. The info in that article suggests that with Brees' return pegged at Week 10, he could have as many as three weeks of therapy/practice time to get used to his thumb again. In other words, even when it is healed, it might not feel quite the same, and Brees will have to kind of develop a feel for the football, for touch and accuracy, all over again. The more time for that process to play out, the better.

 

[Bill]

Agree with the bolded. The info in that article suggests that with Brees' return pegged at Week 10, he could have as many as three weeks of therapy/practice time to get used to his thumb again. In other words, even when it is healed, it might not feel quite the same, and Brees will have to kind of develop a feel for the football, for touch and accuracy, all over again. The more time for that process to play out, the better.

I agree that until his touch and accuracy returns, he should just keep practicing. But I believe with all my heart that when the doctors conclude that there would be little to no chance of re-injury in the course of normal play, then when he reaches the level of control with the football that can have him effective in the pocket, then he needs to be back out there no matter what week it is.

Trust me... at that point Drew will already be campaigning to get back in there!

 

[SaintsFan742]

As long as we keep putting up W's, Drew should stay out and rehab until he is completely healed. Don't want him to come back too soon and end up like Kevin Durant.

 

[SaintSpyNDallas]

Saints Fans: "You're not gonna play forever."
Drew: "I'm not stupid. No one plays forever. No one. But with advances in modern science and my high level of income, I mean, it's not crazy to think I can't play until 245, maybe 300. Heck, I just read in the newspaper they put a pig heart in some guy from Russia. You know-- I mean, do you know what that means?"
Saints Fans: "No, I don't know what that means. I guess, longer playing time."
Drew: "Well, no, he didn't live."
Saints Fans: "He didn't live?"
Drew: "No. It' just exciting that we're trying things like that."
Saints Fans: "Yeah."