Detroit Lions rookie running back Mikel Leshoure will be out for the season following an Achilles tendon rupture sustained during practice on Monday. The Lions drafted Leshoure in the second round from the University of Illinois, and were hoping to have him take turns carrying the ball with Jahvid Best. Of Leshoure, Coach Jim Schwartz said "He’ll have surgery very soon, probably tomorrow, and he’ll be back. He won’t be back this year, but he’ll be back. And he was doing very well."
Achilles tendon injuries can be a career-ending injury, which certainly takes some air out of the tires of the Detroit Lions, who sports pundits are predicting to have a turn-around year. In a systematic review of statistics from the NFL, Parekh et al showed that 36% of skill-players (running backs, wide recievers, defensive backs, cornerbacks, and linebackers) never returned to play professionally.
The study analyzed the power ratings of the players who did return to play professionally. Power ratings are statistics used to measure a player's level of play, such as rushing and passing yards. Of the 64% who returned to play (21 players total), all showed a significant decline in their power ratings as well as the number of games played. This 64% is slightly lower than the previously reported 71% of patients returning to full activity following surgical repair of Achilles tendon ruptures. This difference may be attributed to size, weight, strength, and overall physical demand of professional football players when compared to the average young athlete.
The study by Parekh et al looked at the three seasons before injury and the three seasons following injury, and averaged statistics for the players over those three years. It was found that the power ratings fell by average of almost 50%, and that the amount of games played fell from 11.67 to 6.17. This suggests that even if a player is able to recover from the injury and return to their previous level of play, they may never regain their original quality of play.
Current treatment regimens hinge on surgical repair of the ruptured tendon. While studies have shown promising reults with conservative non-surgical treatment combined with aggressive rehabilitation protocols, the incidence of re-rupture is lower in surgically repaired Achilles tendons, and the time to full recovery is also faster. Surgeons are trending towards earlier, aggressive physical therapy regimens following surgery instead of the six to eight weeks of immobilization previously set as the standard of care.
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