Fitness experts have called Aaron Rodgers’ recovery from a torn Achilles ‘much faster than expected’ and said it’s ‘possible’ he may return to football before the end of the season.
The New York Jets quarterback suffered an Achilles tear on September 11 during his debut – an injury that normally takes up to a year to heal.
The setback put his NFL career in jeopardy, and it appeared almost certain the 39-year-old would have to wait until the rest of the year to set foot on the field again, given his age.
However, he was seen walking unassisted and throwing the ball around with teammates last week – just three weeks after the injury.
For example, most patients rely on crutches for at least eight weeks before they can put weight on the injured leg.
Experts told DailyMail.com that Rodgers had a minimally invasive procedure, which could allow him to ‘beat the impossible’ and play before the end of the season.
Rodgers is also a big advocate of a mostly vegan, ‘ancestral’ diet and hallucinogenic teas, which could also have sped up his recovery.
Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear in the first quarter of the Jets’ Week 1 game against the Bills
Rodgers has been seen walking unassisted and throwing the ball around with his teammates five weeks after his Achilles injury
Dr John Gallucci, Jr, CEO of JAG Physical Therapy in New York City, told DailyMail.com: ‘He is doing awesome. He has moved the timeline up dramatically than we would see in a normal Achilles repair.’
Dr Gallucci said the quarterback had a speed bridge procedure, a minimally invasive form of Achilles repair surgery that most patients don’t receive.
In a speed bridge procedure, a surgeon creates a small incision and implants a device. Sutures pass through the impact and lock onto the ends of the torn or ruptured tendon. These are then anchored into the heel born or sewn to the other end of the tendon.
Dr Michael Sganga, foot and ankle surgeon at Orthopedics New England, told DailyMail.com: ‘If [the tendon] is anchored into the heel, it’s a lot stronger and can rehab quicker, but the biggest key is the incidents are much smaller. Skin heals quickly, [and] people can get back up on their feet and walk usually within the first two weeks.’
‘The whole idea is getting the muscle and tendon back attached to the heel and functioning to move the foot and make sure you do that quickly after the injury so that the muscle doesn’t atrophy and lose function.’
When a muscle atrophies, it decreases in size and eventually wastes away.
However, most patients receive an open Achilles repair. This involves the surgeon making an incision on the back of the calf to locate the partially ruptured or completely severed tendon. The surgeon removes damaged tissue and uses sutures to fix the tear and attach the ends of the severed tendon.
The location of the tear, as well as the patient’s general health, determine if the patient qualifies for speed bridge over traditional Achilles repair.
The quarterback sustained the injury after getting sacked by Leonard Floyd minutes into the game
Dr John Gallucci (left) and Dr Michael Sgana both said Rodgers could return to the field before the end of the season due to the type of procedure he had and his healthy lifestyle, but it will take time to know for sure
‘For you to be a candidate of this, you would have to tear distally, which is at the end of the Achilles, as it attaches to your heel. That’s an important component,’ Dr Gallucci said.
‘A tremendous amount of people will tear their Achilles in the mid-shaft to the Achilles, which means there’s only tissue that can be sutured.’
Dr Sganga said that patients who are young and relatively healthy are more likely to qualify for speed bridge recovery. However, someone with an older injury or a condition like chronic tendonitis may require more care than a minimally invasive procedure
‘[Rodgers] a professional football player, he’s in great shape, he eats well, he takes care of himself. Those are things that might have made him more of a candidate for this, plus wanting to get back on the field quicker,’ he said.
Rodgers has repeatedly promoted his predominantly vegan, protein-rich, ‘ancestral diet.’ He reportedly eats oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, chicken or a plant-based protein and green salad for lunch and occasionally red meat and vegetables for dinner. GREAT!!
He has also endorsed hallucinogenic tea that has ‘relieved a lot of the stress around the idea of needing to accomplish things before I actually die.’
Along with the surgery, these lifestyle factors, Dr Gallucci said, could have an impact on Rodgers’ accelerated recovery.
‘When we see him right now, pretty much at the five-week mark, ultimately, he is sort of looking like he’s at the 12-week mark for a normal Achilles repair. That’s the best way to look at it,’ he said.
‘Based on a procedure the doctor did, it’s giving him that opportunity to do all these things a little earlier.’
‘Him being a healthy candidate that is nutritionally savvy and rest savvy and conditioning savvy is definitely opportunistic for him to have an awesome outcome.’
‘Rest, hydration, and nutrition are the factors of a better, healthier body.’
Both doctors believe it’s too soon to know for sure if Rodgers can return before the end of the football season, but there is reason to believe he can ‘beat the impossible,’ Dr Gallucci said.
‘I think anything is possible. I do think that his recovery is much faster than expected and much faster than the majority of people with an Achilles rupture,’ Dr Sgana said.
‘He’s definitely pushing it. I think he can get back, but time will tell.’
‘I think that it’s a good sign that he’s out there unassisted throwing the ball, but that’s a big difference between running in the pocket and playing professional football and getting hit.’
‘I don’t know if he’s going to get there by the end of the season. But he’s already several months ahead of the typical Achilles repair. This is definitely a lot faster than I would have expected.’