Vincent Smith has a torn ACL per Rivals

Submitted by seanml11 on

Vincent Smith has a torn ACL per Rivals. RR said that Smith tore it during the tOSU game.

Beavis

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:29 PM ^

I might be a bit off on updating my medical knowledge, but...

LOL to this post sir. Rehabbing a torn ACL by Spring ball? You've got to be kidding me.

Best case: He's in uniform at 75% next September

Worst case: He's out next year

I mean, Brady did tear his knee up worse than just an ACL, but he was out a year, and when he came back he still needed about 6-8 weeks to look normal again. Not good...

MI Expat NY

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 PM ^

You're being as pessimistic as geaux-blue was being optimistic. Brady tore both the ACL and MCL had tons of complications (infections and such), and was still back in time for start of fall camp. His rust can be as much missing a full year as QB as it was physically recovering.

ACL repair has come a long way, and I believe generally it calls for a 6 month recovery period. He'll miss spring practice, but I'd say there's a better than 50% shot he's at full speed come the start of fall camp. The odds will be greater depending on when they can get to the surgery.

Beavis

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:44 PM ^

This is to Magnus too -

How can some kid rehab an ACL tear in only 3-4 months (Spring ball) when everywhere I just looked says it takes 7-9 months to rehab an ACL?

Please note that the 7-9 months is rehab time. Aka after he has the surgery (which, presumably he has not had yet).

And the difference b/w a 19 year old and a 31 year old is not that big. It would be a valid argument if one guy was 19 and the other was 50. But you can't tell me that Vincent Smith is going to heal significantly faster than someone like Brady, just because he is younger. That is a crock of shit (however, the ACL vs. multiple ligaments is totally logical, which I mentioned in my original reply).

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/aclinjury/f/rehabtime.htm

Magnus

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:48 PM ^

Why is this directed at me?

I said I don't think he'll be back by spring practice, but that I think he'll be better than 75% by September. Even if he doesn't have surgery until January, 9 months is...drum roll, please...September.

Beavis

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:51 PM ^

Well, I responded to your 19 y.o. vs. 31 y.o. argument, which doesn't hold much weight with me.

Also, have you ever had a sports injury? I'm guessing the answer is either "no" or "a long time ago", because 7-9 months of "rehab" time is required.

You're looking at V. Smith coming out of REHAB sometime between June and September. No practices, limited workouts, etc.

If we get the 7 month variety, he might be ready for some carries by the first game. However, if we get the 9 month variety, he's probably not going to see the field much next year.

Magnus

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 PM ^

There's a difference between 19 and 31. Ask any 31-year-old.

I don't know... Do dislocated fingers and separated shoulders and torn hamstrings and sprained ankles count as sports injuries? Yeah? Then I guess your point doesn't hold much water.

GBOD79

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:51 PM ^

I wonder if the 7-9 month time frame given is for the ordinary person watching from the stands and not for the D1 athlete with superior genes and better conditioning. It may not sound like it should make a difference but it does. Athletes regularly are running and cutting on ACL's that were torn 5-6 months before.

Kvothe

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:09 PM ^

I tore my ACL after my sophmore year in college, there are different ways to repair it that can alter how long the recovery process takes. If you choose a cadaver, which I did, recovery is slightly shorter as there are not as many cuts required. This gives you less flexability in the new ligament though as they normally use an achillies tendon for the cadaver. The other way is to make a new ligament from some of your own muscle tissue, many times the calf. This takes longer because you must wait for the muscle to heal too. The doctor told me when it happend it normally takes a full calendar year to FULLY recover and an additional 1/2-1 year to get your mind back thinking "I can make this cut and be ok." He said "unfotunately, with a cadaver, you will never run as fast or jump as high again." I am sure with a medical staff like Michigan's he could be healthy enough to play sometime next season but I am not sure if his mind will recover as fast.

noshesnot

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:18 PM ^

For elite athletes, they like to autograft (take tissue from the athlete) the ligaments, usually part of one of the hamstrings. There is less chance of future tear, and despite "more cuts", can have a faster HEALING time; unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily translate to faster recovery time. However, to be 100% after an ACL, for an elite athlete, it is regularly cited that it takes over a year to be back in complete form, mentally and physically. This does not discount the fact that he could "feel ready" at fall ball, or even spring ball, but I doubt that the surgeons at U of M will feel comfortable with him cutting and juking full force in five months.

GBOD79

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:21 PM ^

"but I doubt that the surgeons at U of M will feel comfortable with him cutting and juking full force in five months."

Thats a good distinction and one that I didnt make. I have no way of knowing how much effort the two players I knew were putting forth. But I would guess it was not 100.

GBOD79

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:19 PM ^

I am just going off of what I saw at my college while playing football. Granted it was a D3 school but we had two guys tear their ACL's in the same pick up basketball game around Christmas time. They were both running and cutting in Early to Mid June.

From what I know they did not use the calf muscle but part of the hamstring tendon. I am in no way a MD but if those two could play the next season, I dont see why Smith couldnt do the same.

tpilews

December 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 PM ^

Yeah, depends on the guy as to how fast the recovery takes. I played baseball in college and had teammates that went through Tommy Johns and never pitched again, and had guys go through the same surgery and were back in just over a year, and throwing better than ever. Personally, I had surgery on my shoulder. Torn rotator cuff and stretched ligaments. I never threw 100% again and still can't to this day.

I think we all can agree that Vincent Smith will need all of next year to recover and we'll see him 100% in Sept. 2011.

umchicago

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 PM ^

the UM sports medicine team butchered my ACL reconstruction a few years ago, prematurely ending my co-ed rec softball career here in chitown; not to mention basketball and waterskiing.

though my bar time has increased significantly, so it's not all bad...

teldar

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 PM ^

because Brady went to a surgeon the team asked him NOT to go to.
And he ended up with infection after infection in his knee.

Knees are NOT easy things to clean of infection. People who have them replaced have the have them re-replaced if they become infected.

A healthy 19 y.o. CANNOT be compared to a 31 y.o. with serial infections.

Period.
The End.
Definitive.

GBLforlife

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:33 PM ^

To shine a little bit of hope on the situation, Darren Evans, the talented soph RB at VTech tore his august 21st and was cleared to practice with a non contact jersey 2 weeks ago and they attribute it to his strong commitment to rehab. At the time he tore it, the tech med staff said he was a maybe for spring ball. If Vincent is just as resilient in his rehab then hopefully we can see the same results.

jmblue

December 3rd, 2009 at 9:30 PM ^

And the difference b/w a 19 year old and a 31 year old is not that big. It would be a valid argument if one guy was 19 and the other was 50.

True, except that a 31-year-old NFL player might as well be another decade older, with all the physical punishment he takes.

silverslugger

December 3rd, 2009 at 8:21 PM ^

There is over 9 months until the season, I have torn my ACL before, and yes it sucks, but like LandonC mentioned, the sooner the surgery, the better,

If he is back in 6 months, it will only be with receiving painkillers, and pain relief stuff because the knee will still swell.

Best of Luck to Vincent on his recovery process

Geaux_Blue

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:45 PM ^

i was referring more to walk-throughs and being an active part instead of standing around or even forgoing for the sake of physical therapy targeted on the knee. i didn't mean playing in the game as opposed to participating in those workouts his knee would allow him (bench press, team meetings, etc.)

umchicago

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 PM ^

the article didn't give much info - just indicated he suffered an acl injury and that he will miss spring practice.

who knows, he may have only suffered a partial tear and my not have surgery at all. hold off on prognosis until full extent of injury is disclosed.

Drake

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:26 PM ^

It looks like is going to be missing spring practice, this could give Mike Cox and Fitz Toussaint the edge for the starting job.

Magnus

December 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 PM ^

Don't get me wrong - I'm not happy about this development or anything. But I had a hard time believing that Smith was going to be the lead back come 2010. Whether it's Cox or Shaw or Toussaint, I figured somebody else would snatch the lead role.

But hopefully Smith can recover quickly and be a factor for us next September.

wolverine1987

December 3rd, 2009 at 7:07 PM ^

I didn't see those approx. 10 carries against bad teams as particularly conclusive. Smith had more impressive work against legit teams. I'm not saying he'll start, but if you went only by what we saw I think it's pretty hard to conclude that Cox is even near him in the coaches estimation, or on the field--so far.