Dr. Soppe offer possible outcomes for the Chiefs’ DB’s injured ACL.
Article link: When Is Rashee Rice Coming Back? What Injury Did He Suffer? – Parade
When Is Rashee Rice Coming Back? Orthopedic Surgeons Weigh In (msn.com)
Rashee Rice of the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a brutal blow to his knee on Sunday, Sept. 29, leading him to be carted off the field for the rest of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers—and K.C. fans and brass are bracing themselves for the worst in terms of his recovery time.
The specific nature of Rice’s injury hasn’t yet been made public, but sources told ESPN that Rice may have torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), though further tests need to be done to confirm his diagnosis.
“There are many different types of injuries that may have been sustained as seen on the injury video,” Dr. Clint Soppe, MD, board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and orthopedic consultant for the LA Galaxy, told Parade. “An MRI will be critical in defining the exact injuries or more commonly multiple injuries. The most worrisome is ligament tearing involving the cruciate ligaments (ACL and PCL) and/or the collateral ligaments (MCL and LCL). Other associated injuries could involve the meniscus as well as bone bruising.”
According to Dr. Soppe, the best case scenario may be bone bruising. “The recovery depends on the extent of injury seen on the MRI. The range of recovery is broad until the specific diagnosis is obtained,” he explained. “A bone bruise may be two to four weeks of recovery, but if surgery is needed for a ligament injury, such as an ACL tear, then recovery will be likely eight to 12 months.”
Unfortunately, Dr. Soppe thinks the two-to-four-week recovery isn’t a probable scenario given the video footage of Rice’s tumble. “Having watched the video, I fear that Rashee may need ligament surgery which would keep him off the field for eight to 12 months depending on the exact procedure required,” he explained.
