Category Archives: Football

Ankle/Foot, Football, Other

Allen Hurn’s left ankle fracture-dislocation

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Allen Hurns, an American wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys National Football League, dislocated his left ankle in Saturday’s win over the Seahawks. The injury happened in the first quarter of the Dallas Cowboys’ 24-22 wild-card win against the Seattle Seahawks.  Hurn’s left leg was twisted as he was tackled by Seahawk Bradley McDougald on a 14-yard catch. Very similar to Gordon Hayward’s ankle injury.

His foot was deformed and he laid on his stomach on the field, writhing in pain. The players quickly cleared the area to allow space for medical staff to put a splint on Hurns’ leg.

An x-ray showed a broken fibula.  In accordance with most of the posts on our site he also got the obligatory MRI (athletes seem to get them for everything).  It’s not clear that an MRI provides useful information in this setting. He had surgery the same night while the game was still underway. This type of injury is routinely treated with plate and screw fixation of the fibula.  In many cases the ligaments are repaired on the inside of the ankle as well. It takes at least 6 months and likely more towards a year to be ready for high level athletics again.

Ankle/Foot, Football, Knee

Tua Tagovailoa’s right ankle injury.

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Tua Tagovailoa, an American college football quarterback of the Alabama Crimson Tide, injured his right ankle during the 4th quarter of the SEC Championship against Georgia. The injury happened when offensive lineman Jonah Williams backed into Tua and stepped on his right ankle as Tua was attempting to make a throw. Tua could not walk off and was carted to the sideline. He did not return to the game. His injury led to a crazy touchdown drive by his backup, Jalen Hurt.

After x-rays and a MRI he was diagnosed with  a right ankle high sprain, which means that he injured the ligaments between his tibia and fibula (the syndesmosis).  This injury is treated with surgery to align and hold the bones while the ligaments heal.   

Before his ankle sprain, Tua has been dealing with a knee sprain for about a month before he injured his right ankle. The right ankle injury was the reason that he was completely locked him out of the game.  His orthopedic surgeons believe that the most recent procedure to his right ankle will be the one to keep him in good place for his championship. Tua is expected to be back in two weeks, but this time in a much better position in terms of his ankle recovery. While it’s nice that Tua is not kept off from playing for too long, he is taking a huge  risk by returning after such a short time of recovery, especially since he is recovering from two injuries now, an ankle and a knee sprain.

All Blogs, Football, Leg Fracture

Colt McCoy Fibula Fracture

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On Monday, December 3, 2018, two games after losing their starting quarterback, Alex Smith, to an open tibia shaft fracture, the Washington Redskins lost their back-up quarterback, Colt McCoy, to a fractured right fibula. Towards the end of the first quarter against the Eagles, McCoy’s right leg was caught on Eagle’s safety Malcom Jenkins’ leg during a run.  McCoy stayed in the game for five more plays before he was replaced by Mark Sanchez for the rest of the game.

Radiographs identified a fracture of the fibular.

The fibula is the smaller of the two bones that make up the lower leg.  Most fibula fractures are part of an ankle injury.  If the ankle is out of place, surgery is usually recommended. During surgery, the bone is repositioned to normal realignment and a metal plate and screws hold the bone in place. This injury will keep him out for the rest of the season.  Players have returned sooner, but there is risk involved as the bone takes 6 to 12 months for complete healing.