jays52

Mayo mi amigo, is there any help you can offer on how knee tendon damage is caused? Is there anything that visual evidence can offer in the way of diagnosis?

I don't mean to call you out, buddy, but you're the expert with the whole "I went to college for 28 years" thing Any insight you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

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mayoclinic

Sorry, but I'm no help on this one. I don't have a crystal ball. There's just no way to infer anything from the video of Welker's injury. It doesn't look like the classic kind of injury that results in an ACL tear, but that really doesn't mean anything.

I doubt the full extent of Welker's injury will be known right away. It will take an MRI to evaluate his knee, and it may take a day or two to evaluate the extent of the swelling around the injury. There's also a lot of variability in recovery time, even from severe injuries. Willis McGahee is a good example. Welker's a tough and competitive guy, and even if it's an ACL tear I think there's a good chance he'll be playing next season.

But there's no way around this sucking the big one.

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DaBruinz

I have to agree with Mayo on this. There is just no way to know. That being said, some positives from what I saw as Welker walked off the field. He was able to put some weight on it and bend it. When I tore my ACL and also damaged the meniscus, I couldn't bend the knee OR put weight on it.

Now, while I agree things don't look great, I want to remind people of an incident that happened back in 2003 with Tedy Bruschi. Tedy went over backwards and kinda sideways.. Many people thought his left knee was toast because it was under him.. Bruschi was clearly in pain and such and had to be helped off the field. Bruschi came back in a few plays later and had no ill effects.. I'm not saying that is the case with Welker, but until he's officially on the IR, there is hope.

Rob0729

I am not medical expert, but based on what I read of medical journal abstracts, they say a torn ACL is not a big deal for a professional football player anymore, but a torn meniscus could be a career ender.

CanadianPat'sFan

Welker is one of the hardest workers I have seen on a football field and I know off the field he will work just as hard. With that in mind my gut tells me he is done from his reaction but we will not find out until tomorrow.

Brady also walked of the field (and down some steps) but that was trauma from a hit to the knee. I have never had ACL or MCL problems but tore my meniscus three times and I still playing ball (while not at NFL level of course)

I just hope the guy can come back 100% because he is my favorite player on offence to watch in the whole NFL.

DaBruinz

Torn Meniscus is not a big deal, it just complicates the surgery a bit because the part is so small.

Even with my injury, I was back to being a hockey goalie without issues.. Yes, I wear my knee brace on occasion, but that's because the brace will help protect from a re-occurrence.

[ALERT: OPINION FORTHCOMING]
Now, I am going to say something based the purely hypothetical that it is a full ACL tear. It's based on what happened to me when I tore my ACL. Being that Welker's injury was a non-contact injury (like my own was), it's possible that Welker was playing with a slight tear and that, in the weakened state, it didn't take much for it to let go. Welker could have done something to it in the past couple of weeks and not known it or written it off to just normal wear and tear. Now, I have nothing to back this up except my own experience.

I hope that isn't the case and I hope that its just a hyper extension with the Patriots being overly cautious.

363839

As I recall the Tedy Bruschi injury, he did not play until the following week.
I could be wrong, of course.

jays52

Thanks for the posts, all. Especially to you, Dr. I don't have any experience with big leg injuries save for a broken femur and torn achilies. I recovered from the femur, but the achilies was the end of the line for me.

In my experience, I got lucky with the drumstick and some really good surgeons at MGH were able to throw some metal in me and patch it up. I was was able to rehab my quad and IT band to keep playing, but ligaments/tendons scare the crap out of me. I know that players can rehab those injuries, but it's still scary anytime someone goes down like that. Thanks for the posts, guys.

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Mack Herron

ESPN reporting torn ACL and MCL.

http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter

furry

Source: Welker tears ACL, MCL
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ESPN.com news services

HOUSTON -- New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker tore both his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, but he is scheduled to undergo more testing Monday, a source close to the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Welker left the game in the first quarter after getting hurt on a reception and did not return. Welker tried to plant his left foot after making a catch and that's when the injury occurred.

[+] EnlargeWes Welker
AP Photo/Dave EinselWes Welker is carted into the locker room after hurting his left knee.

Welker was helped to the sideline by members of the Patriots' medical staff. He buried his head in a towel while sitting on the bench and was later carted to the locker room.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not have an update on Welker's status after his team's 34-27 loss.

Welker caught a pass from Tom Brady on New England's first possession and his knee appeared to buckle as he turned upfield.

When Welker went down, a nearby player immediately called for medical help. Brady and receiver Randy Moss kneeled over Welker, and Belichick also walked out from the sideline to check on Welker.

Welker entered the game with 122 catches for 1,336 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Information from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Source: New England Patriots' Wes Welker tears ACL, MCL - ESPN Boston