David Chao, MD
2 min read • December 07, 2023
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Dr. David Chao, @ProFootballDoc on Twitter/X, joined the Jim Rome Show to talk about Trevor Lawrence's ankle sprain, Mike McCarthy's appendectomy and Hayden Hurst's concerning concussion news.
Watch below:
Here's a transcript of the appearance:
first off with Trevor Lawrence he becomes the latest big name quarterback to go down the Jags are calling it a high ankle sprain he was seen yesterday without a walking boot what do you think his prognosis is and then when do you expect him to play again well in game by video it looked bad right but we don't judge the reaction but when you analyze the video like I've done for 17 years in the NFL we didn't expect there be a break we did not
expect there to be injured reserve time no surgery and expect a quick return within minutes we said the possibility for next week is alive and we're still saying the possibility is alive stepped on the right foot turned his right ankle we actually don't believe it's a high ankle spring which would speak to why no boot and the whole deal and I think it's still possible for him to play this Sunday versus the Browns not a guarantee but obviously this bodes pretty well for week 15 but week 14 questionable but the chance to play
Still Alive all right so if it's not a high ankle sprain what do you think it is and then if it's not a high ankle sprain why do you think the team would say that it is well look I'm not calling Doug Peterson a liar he's not a medical person and we deal with Coach speak all the time we do injury analysis versus reporting and there are different types of standard low inversion ankle Springs and the kind that Trevor Lawrence has probably involves what we call the 18 F anterior T tailor fibular ligament so
it's a little higher version of a basketball spring maybe there's just some confusion in nomenclature maybe there's a little bit of gamesmanship but as you pointed out Jim for the press conference yesterday there was no boot and he walked in and out without a boot so that's clearly pun intended a step in the right direction we joined right now pun taken we're joined right now by the Pro Football doc doc one more thing one more angle about this one of my listeners made the point that we have
not seen a dude that jacked up trying to get down the tunnel since that little kid gave Mean Joe Green his bottle of coke back in the day why do you think that Lawrence did not take a cart and should one of the medical people or trainers on hand have insisted on it well when the when it happened and there was some criticism I said look you don't know what happened there first of all he many athletes waved the card off and we found that to be true number one number two based on exam if I buy video video can tell there's no fracture if I'm
there on the field and the Jacksonville Jaguars have a good team doctor there no there's no fracture there's no harm there ankle sprains are often walked off the field look I had a story once of an NFL player who on the field I said I think you have a tibial Plateau fracture he insisted on walking off the field and I said okay we'll have you on our shoulders and a year later he thanked me he because he said I didn't ever want to get carded off and that ended up being my last play in the NFL so thank you for
not cting me off so there's much more to play into it I get the Optics of the look of up the tunnel but the Jacksonville Jaguars medical staff didn't do anything wrong it's called being human and dealing with the emotions of the injury and Trevor Lawrence you know he wasn't making the ankle worse letting him do what he wanted to do he is the Pro Football dog breaking it down for us all right doc so another big story yesterday involved not a player but a coach Mike McCarthy requiring surgery for acute
appendicitis what is the recovery like for that and barring complications is there any reason why he shouldn't be on the saline with this weekend Showdown with Philadelphia I've never examined Mike McCarthy but I guarantee you he'll be on the sideline for the game against the Eagles as a matter of fact I'd be surprised if he doesn't show up to practice later this week to do something why do I say that look I'm an orthopedic surgeon but as a team physician and I don't want to be an old guy telling
stories but look this is not the first time coach Norv Turner for the San Diego Chargers in 2009 no one knew about this at the time I've asked coach Turner he's allowed me to tell the story he had emergency appendectomy surgery on Friday before the Ravens game in 2009 and coached on Sunday and nobody even knew about it no need because if the coach misses Friday night Saturday walk through no one even knows about it the Cowboys had to announce it because Mike McCarthy would be missing you know the practice time and media time Etc that's
why they had to announce it but there is precedent for this and no coach Turner wasn't on narcotics and made it through the game it was a hot game you know he's coaches coaches are tough and I don't see Mike McCarthy coming close to missing this game based on past experiences hey Doc better to be an old guy telling stories than just an old guy stories rule I that's great we're joined by I'll tell you funny and I'll tell you a funny anecdote about Coach Turner we had a great relationship and we joked around some
and four weeks later we had lost three of the last four games and he weighs me over to in the training room and goes come over here I'm mad at you and I said mad at me for what and I kind of had a laugh smirk in my face figuring he was joking he goes no I'm serious he sits me down and goes if you would have missed my diagnosis and let my appendix burst we still would have lost three of the next four games but everyone would be hailing me as the missing piece of the Messiah
what well we went on to be 13 and three that year and that was the only three losses so it all worked out in the end that did that is funny we are talking to the Pro Football doc I like that hey let me ask you something that's not amusing Panthers tight end Hayden hurst's father says that his son was diagnosed with posttraumatic amnesia what is that exactly yeah appreciate you're bringing that up and you know I I don't want to mess around with anything related to mental health or head injury
serious thing I look I don't know Hayden Hurst but I've been on his podcast the last couple years he literally has a mental health podcast in the off season because of mental health wearers people probably know his story from college and how he ended up getting into the NFL post-traumatic Amnesia it's symptoms after a concussion the trauma where you're forgetful and I'm not making light of the situation not making fun of it and not making an exact comparison but for your audience it's kind of like 501 dates the movie
with Adam Sadler and Drew Barrymore if you if you remember that where he keeps going on first dates with her because she forgets that there was a first date and doesn't remember so you don't remember things going forward which is very scary uh the hit itself you can never judge concussions by a hit didn't look that bad a month of symptoms is significant we can all hope he gets better and returns this year but there are bigger priorities in life the only good piece of this news is that this apparently is
his first documented concussion but obviously there's some lingering lasting symptoms and you know for a guy who's very concerned about mental health and done a lot to help people we hope him the best per football doc joining us hey Doc really quickly you don't pick games per se but you do do injury and out is when you look at that matchup tonight who is the healthier of the two teams and do you have a lean on anything a prop bet or the game itself based on health you know thanks for asking Rome look I'm not
a tout I don't pick games and stuff we just do scores and injuries and look at where advantages are there are some definite advantages tonight for example maybe looking at uh Hunter Henry because potentially three key linebackers out for the Pittsburgh Steelers so yeah an under a popular you know number popular position to take but the number keeps dropping look we'll do this for your Rome listeners you know our guy Craig always wants to do something nice for you Jim and Rome listeners if you go to siic score.com and sign up for sick
picks put in promo code Rome you'll get all the picks tonight and for this weekend completely free and our best best picks have been 0 and one we've been over 60% on the season with these picks look follow them if you like like or double your unit if that's it matches what you're thinking or do half a unit if it doesn't use it as a resource but you can have all the picks all your listeners for free promo code Rome hey that's pretty big a dator to finally pick me up Craig D we're talking
about your guy my guy and listen I I want to be clear about the website too Doc it's free almost the entire website is free except there are premium parts of it that you would pay money hit that one more time because I want the Clones to understand this these things at 60% you're not going to do better anywhere really than 60% and if these picks are free where do they go to get them if they use the promo code Rome go to sic score.
com go to the pick section promo code Rome we've got a hot one tonight for the Thursday game and uh and those hot ones in the last two weeks have been 0 and one and it's absolutely free check it out uh you know we appreciate you uh Jim so uh want to make sure all your listeners are are hooked up here the record's been good and it's based off of injury advantages and and not just everyone knows about the starting quarterback right but do you really know about the Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers I mean that's kind of what
we work off of and who might play and who might not play and advantages for example one of our guaranteed picks this last Monday was Jamar Chase over what was he 12 catches 130 yards like more than two and a half times his yardage in that Jake Browning game so in other words it's another tool doc really quickly before you go when you consider all the Marquee quarterbacks that are going down The League is on Pace to have a record 73 quarterbacks start a game this season that would be a record given all the rules that are in place to
protect quarterbacks why are they still go still going down at a record Pace well number one is it's the not contact sport of football but Collision sport of football number two how quarterbacks are getting hurt by and large it's out of the pocket all the protections are in the pocket pocket and I'm not saying they're pure running quarterbacks there are a lot of running quarterbacks but there are a lot of quarterbacks that are mobile and extend plays even Trevor Lawrence he was trying to move out of the pocket and extend
plays even the first injury of the season when I was on before Aaron Rogers and Achilles he was trying to escape the sack of Leonard Floyd and he tore his Achilles trying to extend plays uh Lamar Jackson the last two seasons his ankle and his PCL has been rolling out of the pocket Etc not just as a Pure Runner but extending plays that's what makes great quarterbacks great and that extra thing look CJ stroud is making a name for himself by extending plays he hasn't been hurt which is good so far but it
puts you in more danger if you go back to once again telling stories my guy Philip Rivers had the longest starting streak forever as a quarterback because guess what he didn't leave the pocket he got rid of the football style of play comes into it a little bit and perhaps offensive line differences in terms of how the college game and the pro game is different in terms of protection and offensive line depth probably contributes to that as well he is on it the Pro Football doc doc great job really appreciate it thanks so much have
a great weekend nice job Dr David xia board certified orthopedic surgeon longtime physician for the charger is joining us with a lot of good information right there take that use that take the free picks 50 and one hour number two coming up when we come back stay tuned
Written by David Chao, MD
