🏈 A more detailed article on Ingram's knee injury...

[TerryP]

I found this while surfing around on CBS's site this morning. It's a BR article, but does a good job of breaking down what a meniscus tear is...how it can be minor or debilitating.

Clicky thing-a-ma-jig

 

[Oiler99]

Thinking back on it, didn't Mark leave the Iron Bowl favoring that knee late in the game?

 

[UAgrad93]

I had knee surgery 5 years ago to repair a torn meniscus and it was 6 weeks for me. I was 35 so it stands to reason taking longer. I also had ACL damage that had scarred over from 20 years earlier. Mark will be back and as good as new.

 

[rick4bama]

Clicky thing-a-ma-jig :rofl:

 

[Duder]

I had knee surgery 5 years ago to repair a torn meniscus and it was 6 weeks for me. I was 35 so it stands to reason taking longer. I also had ACL damage that had scarred over from 20 years earlier. Mark will be back and as good as new.

Six weeks is on the high end of normal but still fairly reasonable for a recovery time. I had my meniscus repaired in conjunction with another knee procedure. The meniscus can be very tricky. Swelling is the tricky part with any knee surgery. Given Ingram's age and conditioning, he should bounce back reasonably quickly--probably 3-4 weeks. The downside to a quick return is the knee just won't feel right for a while. For those that have never had knee surgery, you'd be shocked how quickly your quads will atrophy. If Ingram rests and remains partial weight-bearing (enough to fire the muscles, not enough to test the knee) swelling will continue to be minimal and he should bounce back quickly. Be very thankful for having someone like Richardson waiting in the wings. Even if Ingram plays as soon as the Arkansas game, which is his soonest likely return, he won't be fit to fully carry the load. He will naturally be a bit apprehensive while running, which will be a first, to protect his knee. Confidence is difficult to muster after a knee injury. The confidence scenario is more likely to pop up with a ligament but present to some extent usually. The Freddie Roach scenario referenced in another thread probably played out during preseason camp so he was contact-ready before the season started.

The imporant thing is they did the right thing for this young man. He could have continued playing on it, look at Andrew Bynum in the NBA Finals, and he could've played Week One, look at Phillip Rivers. They are treating him conservatively and allowing it enough time to heal before throwing him back out into the fold. As much as Saban gets knocked for being a relentless competitor above all else, I applaud him for not pressuring Mark into getting on the field sooner.

 

[Duder]

Thinking back on it, didn't Mark leave the Iron Bowl favoring that knee late in the game?

If I remember correctly they said it was a hip, I may be making that up but it seems I remember that. He returned to form against Florida and Texas though. My guess is the injuries weren't related.

 

[Rolling Tide]

He sat out a lot in the Texas game as well.