Andrews: Good prognosis for Brady's knee (merged)

[Christopher_Price]

Thought you guys would appreciate this news: Noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews said today chances are good Tom Brady will have a full recovery from his knee injury. Got more details here on the blog:

It Is What It Is

We'll be adding to this story as the evening develops.

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

Ssshhhhhh ixnay on the oodgay ewsnay until Matty is traded.

 

[BadMoFo]

What I don't understand is how Andrews knows this. He never treated Brady.

 

[JSn]

I can just see the Bilerioves Adams luncheon convo...

"Wow, the flood of good reports on Brady's knee since the franchising of Cassel is so grand. Mise well trade Matt, I guess, eh guys?"

Chuckles laced with malice reverberate...

 

[blackglass3]

What I don't understand is how Andrews knows this. He never treated Brady.

I *think* the doctor that did Brady's surgery is a protege of Dr Andrews. I imagine he was contacted when the infection hit, or even before that.

 

[BadMoFo]

I *think* the doctor that did Brady's surgery is a protege of Dr Andrews. I imagine he was contacted when the infection hit, or even before that.

Brady's doctor consulted with Andrews after the infection, but I don't think Brady ever saw him.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Ssshhhhhh ixnay on the oodgay ewsnay until Matty is traded.

egads........you think it matters?

 

[BelichickFan]

Brady's doctor consulted with Andrews after the infection, but I don't think Brady ever saw him.

And nothing he said would have needed Brady to see him. He knows how ACLs get re-habbed, he knows the timing of the infection and the clearing of it. The rest is like 2+2 for him.

 

[PatsChamp88]

Per Rotoworld,

We're not sure how Andrews knows this. Maybe he looked at some X-rays of Brady's knee because Andrews did not perform the surgery. Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache did. It is a good sign that Andrews is putting his name on the line to say this, though, and most signs point to Brady being ready for Week 1.

Yeah not sure how he knows but whatever as long as its not some stupid crap like hes going to be out for 2009 season.

 

[Christopher_Price]

It's important to remember that Andrews did not participate in the surgical process, but in the community of sports medicine, his word is the gold standard. He wouldn't say something like this if he didn't have some working knowledge of the case. I know of reporters who have bounced stuff off him before, and he refused to comment or speak on hypotheticals because he didn't know the details of the situation. In this case, I'd say there's almost a 100 percent chance he's either talked to the doc who did the surgery, seen the x-rays or had some other connection.

 

[PatsChamp88]

It's important to remember that Andrews did not participate in the surgical process, but in the community of sports medicine, his word is the gold standard. He wouldn't say something like this if he didn't have some working knowledge of the case. I know of reporters who have bounced stuff off him before, and he refused to comment or speak on hypotheticals because he didn't know the details of the situation. In this case, I'd say there's almost a 100 percent chance he's either talked to the doc who did the surgery, seen the x-rays or had some other connection.

Good to know Chris thanks for the heads up

 

[Rob0729]

It was publicized that Dr. Andrews was consulted by Dr. ElAttrache when Brady's knee got infected. Considering he was consulted, it is pretty clear he has seen X-Rays, MRIs, etc. of Brady's knee. It would have been pretty hard for him to consult otherwise.

It is also safe to assume that Andrews consultation on the case did not end after that initial consult. Andrews probably gets ongoing updates from ElAttrache on Brady and Andrews has given advice on treatment and rehab since.

 

[BradyFTW!]

And nothing he said would have needed Brady to see him. He knows how ACLs get re-habbed, he knows the timing of the infection and the clearing of it. The rest is like 2+2 for him.

Yeah, but as we all know there's a large contingent on this board that knows a whole hell of a lot more about how ACLs heal than this James Andrews guy. *We* know that he definitely won't be back to all-pro level until 2010, and may never be again. Expect him to be PUPed.

 

[carolinatony]

I can't wait till we can see him playing again this year.

 

[RichSeymour]

From the AP link

"You've got to realize that orthopedic surgeons are optimistic by the nature of the problems we deal with," Andrews said. "When you listen to your orthopedic surgeon and he tells you you're going to be well in a certain period of time, you best triple that and you'll be closer to reality."

 

[Patjew]

I thought this was supposed to be a private matter. Doesn't a doctor talking about this violate HIPAA or the hippopotamus oath or something?

 

[ScottieC]

What I don't understand is how Andrews knows this. He never treated Brady.

How soon we forget:

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/24/sports/sp-nflrep24

This story is from October, I think. EDIT: Yes, October.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has had three surgeries on his injured left knee, the last two in recent weeks to battle a rare infection stemming from the repair of two torn ligaments.

According to a renowned orthopedist who was consulted by Brady’s surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the quarterback appears to be responding to antibiotics and doctors are confident his recovery timetable for his ligament graft has not been compromised.

“What I gather from talking to Neal today is that Tom’s getting better, and what has been done is getting him well,” said Dr. James Andrews, widely regarded as the country’s pre-eminent sports orthopedist.

“Optimistically, once you get this under control and you can save that graft and win the infection battle – which apparently from what I gather he is winning – once the healing process catches back up, it really doesn’t set him behind to any degree relative to the overall healing process. The main thing is to save the graft.”

The surgeries were performed in L.A. by ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic. When the infection appeared, ElAttrache consulted with Andrews, whose patients have included Peyton Manning and Michael Jordan. Andrews has a clinic in Birmingham, Ala.

“Neal called me in confidence to run this problem by me to see what I thought,” Andrews said by phone. “We went over that, one, he should be aggressive about going back in, don’t wait on it, don’t let [the infection] continue to declare itself. Get it washed out and scope it. And I said he’d probably have to re-scope it several more times to make sure he got it under control.”

ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported the Patriots were upset because they wanted Brady’s surgery done by doctors of their choosing. The club denied the report.

Likewise, Andrews said Brady made the right decision in selecting ElAttrache. “[Neal is] very knowledgeable and as good a decision maker in taking care of athletic injuries – including complications – as anyone in the world.”

 

[Jackson 2]

What I don't understand is how Andrews knows this. He never treated Brady.

He consulted with Brady's surgeon before and after the surgery. He has commented on this topic before.

 

[drew4008]

I can just see the Bilerioves Adams luncheon convo...

What.....?

 

[DarrylS]

I thought this was supposed to be a private matter. Doesn't a doctor talking about this violate HIPAA or the hippopotamus oath or something?

Good point, wonder how this does work??? Does Brady sign a release?? Interesting nonetheless..