Stanback injury update

According to Tyrone the injury is to the foot, not the ankle, and seems to be a sprain rather than a break at this point. The photo in the Times doesn't look very good, so at the very least he has some ligament damage that can take some time to heal. This doesn't look like a minor ding since he was down on the field for quite a long time.

My experience with foot injuries is they take awhile, especially if he snapped a metatarsal. Not much you can do but wear a tight boot, and let it heal. I snapped a metatarsal one time and it felt like a gun went off in my head. It took a long time to heal, be able to run, or even walk. So lets hope it isn't a break.

Fractures to the metatarsal bones can be caused by direct trauma, excessive rotational forces or overuse. There are two common types of fracture to the fifth metatarsal: the Jones fracture refers to a transverse fracture through the metatarsal and an Avulsion fracture is when a muscle (contracting to prevent a sprained ankle) pulls so forcefully that it pulls off a piece of the metatarsal bone. You are looking at 6-8 weeks for this type of injury to heal.

If it is a sprain he can be out anywhere from a week to two months depending on the severity. A foot sprain is a tear of ligaments, the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect bones to one another inside a joint. Sprains range in severity from Grade I to Grade III.

Grade I - The injury is fairly mild, causing microscopic tears or stretching of the ligaments.

Grade II (moderate) - The ligaments may be partially torn, and the stretching is more severe.

Grade III (severe) - The ligaments are completely torn, so the foot may be unstable and no longer able to bear weight.

Treatment for sprains is simple, (RICE) Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevating the foot to reduce swelling. Only in rare occurances does it require surgery. From looking at the film it looks like he came down on it wrong like a Ballet dancer would. That would usually result in a Avusion Fracture, a mid foot sprain, or a combination of both.

Washington is not going to release any official word till Tuesday, and they may even delay that longer to give Jeff Tedford more to prepare for during the week. These things always look worse on the sidelines during the game. Usually you know better about what you are dealing with a day, or two after the injury. I think at best he is back in two weeks, at worst he is out till the bowl games.