Rotoworld: Brady's surgery could take up to 6 weeks before it's performed

Looks like the swelling is an issue and then he has to wait for the MCL to heal and the longer it takes for the surgery to be done the longer for rehab

Palmer,McNabb and Culpepper (who had 3 torn ligaments in his knee) had quicker surgeries so Tom's swelling must be pretty severe

If Surgery is performed in late october or early november its possible Brady won't be ready for the start of training camp or preseason in 2009

Hope he is under the knife by early October and get part 2 of this 4 part grueling process finished,then on to healing then rehab

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&hl=122607&id=1163

i sure hope they can do the surgery asap, it would be tough for him to miss tc and preseason next year too.

Don't they have to wait for the MCL to heal before they can operate on the ACL?

It's not a swelling issue. He has an MCL injury and they prefer to let those heal as they do on their own before undertaking surgical repair of the ACL rather than have that complicate the ACL rehab post surgery. Palmer's injury was too severe to wait because he had additional damage including to the knee cap.

nummit said:

Don't they have to wait for the MCL to heal before they can operate on the ACL?

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Yes,But Culpepper and I believe McNabb also has torn MCLs but still got to surgery faster than 6 weeks so maybe Tom's swelling is pretty severe or maybe they are just being precautious since its the best player in the NFL whose career is at stake here.

It isn't the swelling at all. It is the MCL. The MCL is a minor tear. So rather than repair it with surgery, they are letting it heal on its own. They can't operate on the ACL until the MCL is healed or they risk hindering the recovery of the MCL.

If it is not a swelling issue then that makes me feel better about the MCL healing and not any other issue

PATRIOTSFANINPA said:

Yes,But Culpepper and I believe McNabb also has torn MCLs but still got to surgery faster than 6 weeks so maybe Tom's swelling is pretty severe or maybe they are just being precautious since its the best player in the NFL whose career is at stake here.

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That's because their MCLs were surgically repaired at least in Culpepper's case. Culpepper's MCL, ACL, and PCL were completely torn. There was no need to wait for any of them to heal because none of them were going to heal. I am pretty sure McNabb only tore his ACL, but I could be wrong.

Reiss is reporting that Tom tore both the MCL and the ACL. They have to wait for the MCL to heal (4-6 weeks) before they can operate to repair the ACL. Then 6-9 months of rehab.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2008/09/sources_brady_t.html

PATRIOTSFANINPA said:

Looks like the swelling is an issue and then he has to wait for the MCL to heal and the longer it takes for the surgery to be done the longer for rehab

Palmer,McNabb and Culpepper (who had 3 torn ligaments in his knee) had quicker surgeries so Tom's swelling must be pretty severe

If Surgery is performed in late october or early november its possible Brady won't be ready for the start of training camp or preseason in 2009

Hope he is under the knife by early October and get part 2 of this 4 part grueling process finished,then on to healing then rehab

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&hl=122607&id=1163

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It's b/c of the MCL - check today's Globe, has a good detailed article on the whole thing.

I'm guessing b/c of the new "prehab" stuff, Brady will be in good shape when it comes time for him to go under the knife. Maybe I'm being ridicolously optimistic, but based on how Palmer and Rivers bounced back so quickly, and based on the new advances and "prehab", I am hoping Brady has a pretty quick recovery and is fully ready by the start of TC.

PATRIOTSFANINPA said:

If it is not a swelling issue then that makes me feel better about the MCL healing and not any other issue

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I could be wrong, but I don't know if I would listen to Rotoworld for medical advise. Besides, both Palmer's and Culpepper's injuries that Rotoworld referenced were far more severe because of cartlage damage and a dislocated knee cap in Palmer's case. You gotta assume that both those injuries had more swelling just because of the severity of the injuries.

My guess is that if they had to surgically repair the MCL, Brady would go under the knife far sooner than six weeks.

As much as we all enjoy second guessing BB's roster moves. I am going to defer second guessing Brady's doctors.

Why are people worrying about this, who knows exactly how long he'll have to wait ? Especially since the fact he'd have to wait was already understood because of the MCL tear.
Listen, Tom Brady is in good spirits and excited for the team and their chances, doesn't sound like a guy depressed over the long term prognosis. He'll get the best medical attention money can buy and this is a guy that's not going to slack off in the least during rehab, he'll do exactly what the Dr's say and work his ass off to get ready for next year.
I'd be surprised if we don't see him holding a clip board as soon as he gets the surgery over with and can use the knee enough to walk and stand around without discomfort. The fact he can't play will drive him too getting ready as soon as humanly possible !

This is the same news as yesterday. It's a non issue, he has plenty of time as long as there's no setback.

Guys why are people worried??? at the worst case scenario (6 weeks to heal and 9 months to rehab) he is ready 8/1. Thats if he doesnt catch a break or if his body condition doesnt aid him in recovery. I think he will be back in time to start the first game

PATRIOTSFANINPA said:

Looks like the swelling is an issue and then he has to wait for the MCL to heal and the longer it takes for the surgery to be done the longer for rehab

Palmer,McNabb and Culpepper (who had 3 torn ligaments in his knee) had quicker surgeries so Tom's swelling must be pretty severe

If Surgery is performed in late october or early november its possible Brady won't be ready for the start of training camp or preseason in 2009

Hope he is under the knife by early October and get part 2 of this 4 part grueling process finished,then on to healing then rehab

http://rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&hl=122607&id=1163

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Standard operating procedure: Globe

In cases like this, doctors typically wait for the MCL to heal, then reconstruct the ACL. Brady will likely undergo surgery in approximately one month and face 6-9 months of recovery and rehabilitation, barring complications.

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http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/09/11/brady_has_both_acl_and_mcl_tears/

Culpepper and Palmer had surgery so quickly because their injuries were *more* severe- it couldn't wait. In Brady's case, the MCL is going to heal fine on its own, and there's no cartilage/bone damage. I know everyone's a little jumpy, but this isn't a bad sign. They're just doing everything that they can to make sure that there are no unnecessary complications, and considering that this is Brady's career that we're talking about, we should be glad that they're playing it safe.