PS 56 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I like EJ Manuel but am very concerned about the situation with his knees. I see athletes like Brady, who went down with an ACL tear in 2008 come back strong the next year. I do remember that there was a lot of controversy about who he saw for treatment. I have absolutely no medical or specialized knowledge in this. Can anyone with a little insight into these issues educate me on the issues faced by EJ? Will the knees just heal by themselves? Does an injury make a knee weaker? Are there things that can be done in the off season to strengthen his knees so we do not see a repeat of these injuries next year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I'm worried about his knees also. It seems that it doesn't take much to strain them. Perhaps because he's so lanky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billieve420 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I think it is a legit concern and hopefully doesn't turn into another Daunte Culpepper situation whose career went downhill due to knee issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireChan Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 It's a shame because EJ's body was his strongest characteristic in the draft. And now, it's his weakness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 ACL and PCL injuries don't heal by themselves (there is almost no blood supply to the ACL), and so they require surgical repair. However, once fixed, the new ligament is just as strong as the old one. That said, the knee alignment and laxity of the ligament can be a bit funky post-surgery. MCL and LCL injuries do heal themselves, as do a small percentage of cartilage tears (ones occurring near the periphery of the knee). Basically, the further towards the interior of the knee, the less blood supply there is, and therefore the less healing. Most cartilage injuries are permanent. A typical arthroscopic operation involves shaving off a flap of cartilage and smoothing out the surface. It improves the function of the knee, but that tissue is often lost forever. Shallow cuts are not a big deal until later in life, but if the cartilage was cut to the bone it will present immediate problems and worsen over time. Microfracture surgery is the option of last resort for cartilage damage, and it's a long and uncertain road to recovery. EJ missed the most regular season time due to a MCL sprain (fully recoverable), then later I think he dinged some cartilage and had it scoped. I think his preseason injury was also a cartilage thing. So he probably lost a bit of cushioning (articular cartilage) or lateral support (meniscal cartilage), and unless it was meniscus tissue in a very fortunate location, he's probably not going to fully recover from those injuries. I don't think they were major tears, though, so he won't notice much difference (except maybe in colder weather...). If they were major, he would have missed more time and perhaps undergone microfracture after the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Front Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Namath was done once his knees Gave out. I dont know how he lasted as long as he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 ACL and PCL injuries don't heal by themselves (there is almost no blood supply to the ACL), and so they require surgical repair. However, once fixed, the new ligament is just as strong as the old one. That said, the knee alignment and laxity of the ligament can be a bit funky post-surgery. MCL and LCL injuries do heal themselves, as do a small percentage of cartilage tears (ones occurring near the periphery of the knee). Basically, the further towards the interior of the knee, the less blood supply there is, and therefore the less healing. Most cartilage injuries are permanent. A typical arthroscopic operation involves shaving off a flap of cartilage and smoothing out the surface. It improves the function of the knee, but that tissue is often lost forever. Shallow cuts are not a big deal until later in life, but if the cartilage was cut to the bone it will present immediate problems and worsen over time. Microfracture surgery is the option of last resort for cartilage damage, and it's a long and uncertain road to recovery. EJ missed the most regular season time due to a MCL sprain (fully recoverable), then later I think he dinged some cartilage and had it scoped. I think his preseason injury was also a cartilage thing. So he probably lost a bit of cushioning (articular cartilage) or lateral support (meniscal cartilage), and unless it was meniscus tissue in a very fortunate location, he's probably not going to fully recover from those injuries. I don't think they were major tears, though, so he won't notice much difference (except maybe in colder weather...). If they were major, he would have missed more time and perhaps undergone microfracture after the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Beard Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Can rehab include building up the muscle around the knee to provide strength? Can a knee brace help? What about an elastic or neoprene sleeve type of brace? My son tore his ACL playing football in college over five years ago. He had surgery from a place with a very good reputation. He is able to do most athletic activities just fine, but he says it is still numb and it makes him uneasy because he doesn't get any feedback if he twists or jars it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I'm a bit concerned about his knees too. My concerns are somewhat allayed by the fact that he played 47 games in college, threw nearly 900 times, was sacked 64 times, and ran the ball nearly 300 times without ever sustaining an injury which caused him to miss a game. So his background up till now has been that he's been very durable. Hopefully this year was an aberration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInUticaTampa Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 The knees are really the only thing that concern me at this point. Talent wise, he played ok for a rookie. But it isn't right for him to get 3 knee injuries in one season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 91 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) I like EJ Manuel but am very concerned about the situation with his knees. I see athletes like Brady, who went down with an ACL tear in 2008 come back strong the next year. I do remember that there was a lot of controversy about who he saw for treatment. I have absolutely no medical or specialized knowledge in this. Can anyone with a little insight into these issues educate me on the issues faced by EJ? Will the knees just heal by themselves? Does an injury make a knee weaker? Are there things that can be done in the off season to strengthen his knees so we do not see a repeat of these injuries next year? I had a pretty ugly injury in a basketball game. Knee came out and tore cartilage and ligs. No surgery. But...bMy knee is always on my mind and I second guess every step. Its psychological now. And its been 14 years now. Im 29 and play minor league football. Believe it or not its easier on your knees than basketball. I saw all this to say. Depending on how bad he REALLY hurt himself. He has a long time ahead of him before he is just normal and trusts his body again Edited January 4, 2014 by Agent 91 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALF Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Thats why we realy need to upgrade the OL thru the draft and FA signing a high priority. Knee braces will keep him in the pocket till that happens, plus a good QB coach, 6'5" WR and another tall TE. Sure would be nice to pick up Graham TE as a FA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkgobills Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 A previous poster did an excellent job providing information regarding cartilage, ligaments and blood supply, and the consequences of injuries to these tissues. The most concerning part of EJ's knee injuries for me was how 2 of the three happened. The direct hit to the knee during the Cleveland game would have caused injury to any human. Frankly, EJ was fortunate the foot was not fully planted at the time of the hit. It could have been catastrophic. The other two injuries occurred on plays that largely were unremarkable. I am not even certain what play he got hurt on in the pre season game. As hard as I looked, I couldn't find the play that he got hurt during in the week 15 game. Rehabilitation and conditioning can build tissues around the knees and help protect them from injury. However, there is concern for how easily his knees have been injured, and how long they have taken to recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PearlHowardman Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 One knee injury in training camp. Two knee injuries during the regular season. Three knee injuries in one season. The verdict Is In: EJ Manuel has knee injury problems. Knee injury problems which cause EJ to sit out way too much time. The Buffalo Bills need a new QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr1 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 One of his injuries was avoidable, the other two seemed fluky and there's know way of knowing if the injury in Cleveland was re-injured as the latest one. I have my concerns but there are other questions related to the injuries that haven't been answered for me to think one way or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 no seat belt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 It just seems like there is more going on with his knee or knees then we are being led to believe and surgery just seems inevitable so sooner the better IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Jason Peters sued them at the advice of Eugene Parker for him falling off and re-tearing his Achilles. They are no longer in business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 It just seems like there is more going on with his knee or knees then we are being led to believe and surgery just seems inevitable so sooner the better IMO I agree completely and this a concern with EJ. If they are going to put all of their eggs in one basket with EJ then they really can't have him come to camp and suddenly realize he needs more surgery. The Bills are a notoriously ill-prepared organization so it's not hard to imagine them playing all of next season with Thad Lewis. That simply can't be allowed to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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