NEW ORLEANS — What kind of rehab is Taysom Hill facing with his ACL injury, and how long could he be sidelined?
Sunday was emotional. Derek Carr was heartbroken when Taysom Hill went down in the Rams game. He watched the guys in the huddle want to get the win for Number 7 and the fans, too.
“I love how our fans treated him, and I would expect nothing less from our fans. You know, when one of our guys goes down, they've been great,” said Saints quarterback Derek Carr.
By Monday, there was a clear MRI picture showing a torn ACL.
“Looks like it's going to be season-ending for him, unfortunately. You know, I think he'll probably get a second opinion on some of the stuff,” said Saint interim coach Darren Rizzi.
The ACL is a horizontal ligament deep in between the knee joint that gives the knee stability. So, we asked Tulane orthopedic surgeon Dr. Wendell Heard what this could mean for the player known as the Swiss Army Knife. He is not treating Taysom, nor has he seen the MRIs. He says the ACL can not be sewn back together.
“Typically, we do what's called an ACL reconstruction, meaning that we replace the entire ligament instead of a repair,” explained Dr. Wendell Heard, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Tulane.
The new ACL is formed from a graft of bones and tendons from other areas of the knee in an hour-long surgery.
So, is it ever as strong as it was before at the elite athlete performance level?
“It is actually, once you're fully rehabbed, you get your range of motion back, decrease swelling, and get all your strength back, you have a good functional knee. So, players are able to get back to their prior level of play after a successful reconstruction and rehabilitation,” he said.
In the beginning, rehab would involve making sure his core muscles, hip muscles, and quads—are very strong to get his overall conditioning and stability in good shape.
That would come after aggressive range-of-motion exercises so the knee isn't stiff. It's nine months before the risk of a re-tear goes down. Taysom has been seen on videos squatting 685 pounds.
Dr. Heard says the nice thing about athletes is that they usually heal better than the rest of us.
This is the same knee that Taysom injured when he was playing in college.
Reportedly, it has a plate and eight screws in it already.
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