Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to In The Clutch, where sports is all that matters! We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a spectator. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. It's all that stands between you and participating in sports news discussion, live event discussion, and a variety of pick-the-winner and discussion competitions. And we promise not to hunt you down, stalk you, or sell your personal info for a whole tenth of a cent.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Palmer Out for Good?; Injury "Devastating"
Topic Started: Friday Jan 13 2006, 09:41 AM (124 Views)
WeatherManNX01
Member Avatar
The Yanks are coming!

From FOXSports:
Quote:
 
Doctor says Palmer's injury 'devastating'
Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) -
Carson Palmer's knee injury was "devastating and potentially career-ending," but his surgeon said Thursday that he is optimistic the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback can recover and play next season.

Palmer tore ligaments in his left knee when he was hit by Pittsburgh's Kimo von Oelhoffen on his first pass during the Steelers' 31-17 playoff victory Sunday.

The team announced that he had torn the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. The damage was much more extensive and severe, but Dr. Lonnie Paulos said surgery went well and Palmer could be ready for the regular season.

Palmer had surgery Tuesday in Houston. Doctors used grafts from other parts of his body and donated tissue to fix the damage during an operation that lasted more than two hours. Palmer headed back to California on Thursday to do his rehabilitation.

"It's not just like it was a torn ACL," Paulos said Thursday, in a phone interview from Houston. "It's a magnitude more difficult to recover from and repair. It can and has ended careers, without a doubt.

"However, I feel very comfortable with Carson as an athlete and the heart that he's got. In the end, that's the bottom line. I can see the look in his eye already. He's ready to get going."

Paulos, an orthopedic surgeon who has worked with the U.S. Ski Team since 1983, replaced the anterior cruciate ligament, which runs through the middle of the knee and provides stability. He said the medial collateral ligament, which runs along the side of the knee, was damaged "real bad."

"On a scale of 1 to 3, it was a 4," he said. "It was off the chart. It was pretty badly damaged - shredded is the better term."

The kneecap dislocated when Palmer was hit, damaging tissue around it. There also was some cartilage damage, he said.

Paulos was able to repair the knee without removing pieces of cartilage or soft tissue, a good sign.

"The things that were torn could be repaired," he said. "They were not torn beyond repair. So he's got all his parts in there, which is good. We're optimistic, actually."

If rehabilitation goes well, Palmer could be running in a couple of months and might be able to play in the first regular season game, Paulos said. The 2006 schedule hasn't been set.

The Bengals declined to comment on Paulos' description of the injury, but released a statement from him late Thursday night reiterating that he is optimistic about Palmer's recovery.

Palmer has worn a protective brace on the left knee since he sprained it near the end of the 2004 season. The knee bowed inward on von Oelhoffen's hit even though Palmer was wearing the brace,

"The brace didn't function well in this environment and should have done better than it did, frankly," Paulos said.

The plan is for Palmer to wear more substantial braces on both knees when he returns.

"No brace is perfect," Paulos said. "No brace can prevent every injury, but they do help."

Paulos saw the replay of the injury and wasn't surprised at the extent of the damage it caused. Palmer has absolved von Oelhoffen, saying he didn't think the lineman was trying to hurt him. The lineman said he was trying to sack Palmer, not injure him. He wasn't penalized for the hit.

Palmer made the Pro Bowl in only his second season as a starter, throwing an NFL-leading 32 touchdown passes. The club extended his contract through the 2014 season.

Jon Kitna, who has been Palmer's backup and mentor the last two years, can become a free agent. Palmer's injury will force the Bengals to make sure they have another reliable quarterback on board.
Ouch. He was a good QB, too.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
PSUSyr5
The Board Idiot

Wow...they always talk about how running backs are 1 play away from ending their career, but isn't that true for EVERY position? This is a case like that, although he'll probably be back again next year.

Kitna isn't a bad backup, and Kitna calls Palmer his best friend so I doubt he'd be too upset if the Bengals kept him around.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
WeatherManNX01
Member Avatar
The Yanks are coming!

sre141
Jan 13 2006, 12:22 PM
Wow...they always talk about how running backs are 1 play away from ending their career, but isn't that true for EVERY position? This is a case like that, although he'll probably be back again next year.

Kitna isn't a bad backup, and Kitna calls Palmer his best friend so I doubt he'd be too upset if the Bengals kept him around.

Yeah, and if Palmer is indeed done for good, then Kitna might very well have a starting job again. He might not get them back to the playoffs in his first year if/when he becomes starter, but the Bengals should definitely keep him around.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
WeatherManNX01
Member Avatar
The Yanks are coming!

UPDATE from ESPN:
Quote:
 
Palmer's doctor quells fears about QB's surgery
ESPN.com news services


While Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer's knee injury was deemed severe, the initial reports of possible long-term effects were overstated, Palmer's surgeon, Dr. Lonnie Paulos, said in a statement released by the team Thursday.

Carson Palmer
AP/Tom Uhlman
Palmer was hit at the knee shortly after planting to throw.

"I believe and regret that media reports based on interviews with me have misinterpreted my view of Carson Palmer's knee injury. Though the injury was serious, the essential fact remains that his ACL and MCL have been repaired.

"I would consider this a typical ACL-MCL football injury. Comments attributed to me that the knee injury was 'devastating and potentially career ending' were meant to describe such injuries in general. I was accurately quoted by The Associated Press that my bottom line is optimism regarding Carson's prognosis. With a successful rehabilitation program, he has an excellent chance of being medically cleared for play at the start of the 2006 regular season."

Paulos, in the AP interview Thursday, said the damage was more severe and extensive.

"It's not just like it was a torn ACL," Paulos told the AP. "It's a magnitude more difficult to recover from and repair. It can and has ended careers, without a doubt."

Paulos, however, assures Bengals fans that Palmer will be ready for next season.

"He did great," Paulos told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's already rehabbing. He's a great athlete. He's a stud. He'll be back in a few months."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · National Football League · Next Topic »
Add Reply