BGA weekly: Getting Back Healthy

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BGA Weekly: Getting Back Healthy

By Bent on Jun 07, 2011, 1:28 pm

During the offseason, I’ll be looking back at certain aspects of the Jets’ season by analyzing data compiled from all nineteen games, rather than watching film. I will be tackling as many diverse topics as possible, but welcome your suggestions or requests in the comments. This week, rather than doing a detailed statistical breakdown, I instead carried out some historical research.

As we now know, Jerricho Cotchery played the entire 2010 season with a herniated disk in his back. He recently underwent surgery to fix the problem, and was recently quoted as saying that the recovery is going well, although he misses the comforts of the team facility.

Inspired by an ongoing discussion in the comments, I decided to do a little research to see how players that suffered a similar injury fared in their efforts to recover from it. Read my findings after the jump.

The Bad News

Looking back through history, a herniated disk has ended several careers prematurely. Three time Superbowl winner Darren Woodson, for example, suffered a herniated disk in his back and never played again. He had surgery three days before training camp in 2004, missed the entire season and then announced his retirement in 2005.

Another Cowboy, “Rocket” Raghib Ismail, suffered a herniated disk in 2001 and missed the rest of the year. Dallas released him at the end of the season and he never played again. Like Cotchery, Ismail was a veteran receiver. He was in his ninth NFL season, whereas Cotchery is about to play his seventh.

The main difference in each of these cases was age. Woodson retired aged 35 and Ismail was 32. Cotchery will be 29 next week.

Ismail’s injury was also more serious. He was kicked in the head and suffered a herniated disk in his neck rather than his back. This was not something like Cotchery’s where he would be able to play through the pain. Instead, he required spinal fusion surgery to correct the problem.

Woodson’s injury was not thought to be that serious at the time. He was initially supposed to miss a few weeks of camp, then maybe the first few games, but his recovery took much longer. From the sounds of it, Cotchery is already further along than Woodson was at any point that season and his comparative youth may be the reason behind that.

Other players that saw their career ended by a herniated disk include Hall of Fame DE Lee Roy Selmon, although that was almost 30 years ago and he reportedly could have returned if he’d opted for surgery. More recent examples include Giants LB Antonio Pierce – although this was again a neck rather than a back injury – and 49ers defensive lineman Charles Haley – although he actually returned to football two years later to play in the postseason.

The Good News

There are several examples of players who have suffered a herniated disk and been able to return successfully. There is also this study, which suggests a high recovery rate.

72% of [NFL] players who underwent surgery for a cervical disk herniation successfully returned to play, on average 29 games over a 2.8-year period, which was significantly longer than that of the nonoperative group, in which only 46% returned to play 14 games over a 1.5-year period

Some of the success stories include Brad Johnson, who suffered a herniated disk (again in his neck) in 1997, but quarterbacked his team to a Superbowl win in 2002. Admittedly, he only started two games the following year, so that doesn’t tell us much about how fast his recovery was.

A more recent example is Steven Jackson who had back surgery in April 2010 to correct a herniated disk. He ran for over 1,200 yards in 2010, which was only a slight drop-off from 2009 and actually exceeded his 2007 and 2008 production.

There are several other recent examples of herniated disk injuries. Matt Hasselback had a herniated disk which limited him to seven games in 2008, but he recovered without surgery and started 28 games over the next two years. James Harrison had two surgeries a couple of months ago, but expects to be 100% by the time the season begins. Panthers WR Armanti Edwards missed several games but did return to the lineup before the end of the season. On the flipside, Mathias Kiwanuka missed the rest of the season and doctors have warned him his condition could be a recurring one that ends his career. However, that was once again a neck rather than a back injury.

A Direct Comparison

Every position in football is different. A quarterback, who is mostly in an upright position, might be able to overcome a back issue more easily than a lineman who has to crouch down and absorb impact from 300-pounders on the other team. However, who can tell what effect an injury such as the one suffered by Cotchery could have on a Wide Receiver, who will need to change direction quickly to get open and perhaps contort his body in mid-air to catch a pass?

For my own peace of mind, I was looking for an appropriate comparison. Someone in the prime of their career, who plays the wide receiver position and suffered a herniated disk that necessitated back surgery. I managed to find two.

The first one was Chris Calloway, who underwent surgery after the 1993 season and is a good comparison with Cotchery because he is a similar size – they have two inches and ten pounds between them. He recorded a then-career best 56 catches in 1994, so he was effectively able to return to the lineup immediately without missing a beat. He went on to have five solid post-surgery seasons with the Giants, recording bests of 849 yards and 62 catches.

The second one was Michael Westbrook who is perhaps a better known name than Calloway. Westbrook was three inches and 18 pounds bigger than Jerricho’s listed size, although if anything that might make his recovery more difficult. His injury was also apparently more serious than Cotchery’s because he missed the end of the 1998 season and had surgery in December, alhough this did also mean he had a longer recovery time. Westbrook returned to action in 1999 and recorded the only 1,000 yard receiving season of his career, catching a career best 65 passes.

Each of these guys was just a couple of years younger than Cotchery is now and the fact that they were able to return to the lineup and produce career best numbers is a good sign that a full recovery is not outside the realms of possibility.

Impact of Cotchery’s Injury

There is no question that playing hurt affected Cotchery’s productivity in 2010. He went from being PFF’s 8th rated receiver in the NFL in 2009 to 93rd in 2010, catching just 55% of the passes thrown his way and dropping 10, after having caught 65% and dropped just six over the previous two years. A return to his pre-2010 form would be a huge boost for the Jets offensive numbers and those of Mark Sanchez.

However, the fact that the injury was not serious enough to keep him off the field is a positive sign. Cotchery did miss a couple of games with a groin pull – although this may have been a cascade injury – but the back problem was apparently just a pain tolerance issue for the mostpart.

According to multiple reports, the surgery entailed shaving a small part of his bone off because it was touching against a nerve, so it was not as serious as the disc fusion surgery which several of the players listed above have had to undergo.

Conclusions

I can actually speak with some authority on this subject because I suffered a serious back injury of my own about five years ago. While the injury still gives me some pain after exercising, it doesn’t limit me as long as I stretch it out beforehand. While my injury was a lumbar spine fracture rather than a herniated disk, many of the complications I overcame during my recovery are likely to be similar to what Cotchery will have faced. Although I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t lost half a step, I have now recovered to the point where at 5-feet-9 and 34 years old, I can still dunk a basketball.

While my recovery was an arduous 18-month ordeal, I didn’t have access to the same level of care that NFL players do, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear Cotchery say his recovery is almost complete. I’d imagine the biggest issues to face him would be in terms of lifting weights and maybe an intital drop in speed but, once the lockout ends, then the Jets coaching staff will no doubt be able to provide the requisite equipment to enable him to fully regain his strength and speed without putting excess strain on his back. Even if his recovery is slow, it might not matter because he isn’t a player that depends solely on his speed or strength to get open and make plays.

On the basis of my research today, I am hopeful that Cotchery could be 100% by the start of the season, whenever that is. There are no guarantees, as he could easily suffer a setback, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that this type of injury ought not to destroy the career of someone Jerricho’s age.

I’ll return to a more statistical bent next week. If you have any requests, please let me know.

[sirlancemehlot]

BGA Weekly: Getting Back Healthy

By Bent on Jun 07, 2011, 1:28 pm

During the offseason, I’ll be looking back at certain aspects of the Jets’ season by analyzing data compiled from all nineteen games, rather than watching film. I will be tackling as many diverse topics as possible, but welcome your suggestions or requests in the comments. This week, rather than doing a detailed statistical breakdown, I instead carried out some historical research.

As we now know, Jerricho Cotchery played the entire 2010 season with a herniated disk in his back. He recently underwent surgery to fix the problem, and was recently quoted as saying that the recovery is going well, although he misses the comforts of the team facility.

Inspired by an ongoing discussion in the comments, I decided to do a little research to see how players that suffered a similar injury fared in their efforts to recover from it. Read my findings after the jump.

The Bad News

Looking back through history, a herniated disk has ended several careers prematurely. Three time Superbowl winner Darren Woodson, for example, suffered a herniated disk in his back and never played again. He had surgery three days before training camp in 2004, missed the entire season and then announced his retirement in 2005.

Another Cowboy, “Rocket” Raghib Ismail, suffered a herniated disk in 2001 and missed the rest of the year. Dallas released him at the end of the season and he never played again. Like Cotchery, Ismail was a veteran receiver. He was in his ninth NFL season, whereas Cotchery is about to play his seventh.

The main difference in each of these cases was age. Woodson retired aged 35 and Ismail was 32. Cotchery will be 29 next week.

Ismail’s injury was also more serious. He was kicked in the head and suffered a herniated disk in his neck rather than his back. This was not something like Cotchery’s where he would be able to play through the pain. Instead, he required spinal fusion surgery to correct the problem.

Woodson’s injury was not thought to be that serious at the time. He was initially supposed to miss a few weeks of camp, then maybe the first few games, but his recovery took much longer. From the sounds of it, Cotchery is already further along than Woodson was at any point that season and his comparative youth may be the reason behind that.

Other players that saw their career ended by a herniated disk include Hall of Fame DE Lee Roy Selmon, although that was almost 30 years ago and he reportedly could have returned if he’d opted for surgery. More recent examples include Giants LB Antonio Pierce – although this was again a neck rather than a back injury – and 49ers defensive lineman Charles Haley – although he actually returned to football two years later to play in the postseason.

The Good News

There are several examples of players who have suffered a herniated disk and been able to return successfully. There is also this study, which suggests a high recovery rate.

72% of [NFL] players who underwent surgery for a cervical disk herniation successfully returned to play, on average 29 games over a 2.8-year period, which was significantly longer than that of the nonoperative group, in which only 46% returned to play 14 games over a 1.5-year period

Some of the success stories include Brad Johnson, who suffered a herniated disk (again in his neck) in 1997, but quarterbacked his team to a Superbowl win in 2002. Admittedly, he only started two games the following year, so that doesn’t tell us much about how fast his recovery was.

A more recent example is Steven Jackson who had back surgery in April 2010 to correct a herniated disk. He ran for over 1,200 yards in 2010, which was only a slight drop-off from 2009 and actually exceeded his 2007 and 2008 production.

There are several other recent examples of herniated disk injuries. Matt Hasselback had a herniated disk which limited him to seven games in 2008, but he recovered without surgery and started 28 games over the next two years. James Harrison had two surgeries a couple of months ago, but expects to be 100% by the time the season begins. Panthers WR Armanti Edwards missed several games but did return to the lineup before the end of the season. On the flipside, Mathias Kiwanuka missed the rest of the season and doctors have warned him his condition could be a recurring one that ends his career. However, that was once again a neck rather than a back injury.

A Direct Comparison

Every position in football is different. A quarterback, who is mostly in an upright position, might be able to overcome a back issue more easily than a lineman who has to crouch down and absorb impact from 300-pounders on the other team. However, who can tell what effect an injury such as the one suffered by Cotchery could have on a Wide Receiver, who will need to change direction quickly to get open and perhaps contort his body in mid-air to catch a pass?

For my own peace of mind, I was looking for an appropriate comparison. Someone in the prime of their career, who plays the wide receiver position and suffered a herniated disk that necessitated back surgery. I managed to find two.

The first one was Chris Calloway, who underwent surgery after the 1993 season and is a good comparison with Cotchery because he is a similar size – they have two inches and ten pounds between them. He recorded a then-career best 56 catches in 1994, so he was effectively able to return to the lineup immediately without missing a beat. He went on to have five solid post-surgery seasons with the Giants, recording bests of 849 yards and 62 catches.

The second one was Michael Westbrook who is perhaps a better known name than Calloway. Westbrook was three inches and 18 pounds bigger than Jerricho’s listed size, although if anything that might make his recovery more difficult. His injury was also apparently more serious than Cotchery’s because he missed the end of the 1998 season and had surgery in December, alhough this did also mean he had a longer recovery time. Westbrook returned to action in 1999 and recorded the only 1,000 yard receiving season of his career, catching a career best 65 passes.

Each of these guys was just a couple of years younger than Cotchery is now and the fact that they were able to return to the lineup and produce career best numbers is a good sign that a full recovery is not outside the realms of possibility.

Impact of Cotchery’s Injury

There is no question that playing hurt affected Cotchery’s productivity in 2010. He went from being PFF’s 8th rated receiver in the NFL in 2009 to 93rd in 2010, catching just 55% of the passes thrown his way and dropping 10, after having caught 65% and dropped just six over the previous two years. A return to his pre-2010 form would be a huge boost for the Jets offensive numbers and those of Mark Sanchez.

However, the fact that the injury was not serious enough to keep him off the field is a positive sign. Cotchery did miss a couple of games with a groin pull – although this may have been a cascade injury – but the back problem was apparently just a pain tolerance issue for the mostpart.

According to multiple reports, the surgery entailed shaving a small part of his bone off because it was touching against a nerve, so it was not as serious as the disc fusion surgery which several of the players listed above have had to undergo.

Conclusions

I can actually speak with some authority on this subject because I suffered a serious back injury of my own about five years ago. While the injury still gives me some pain after exercising, it doesn’t limit me as long as I stretch it out beforehand. While my injury was a lumbar spine fracture rather than a herniated disk, many of the complications I overcame during my recovery are likely to be similar to what Cotchery will have faced. Although I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t lost half a step, I have now recovered to the point where at 5-feet-9 and 34 years old, I can still dunk a basketball.

While my recovery was an arduous 18-month ordeal, I didn’t have access to the same level of care that NFL players do, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear Cotchery say his recovery is almost complete. I’d imagine the biggest issues to face him would be in terms of lifting weights and maybe an intital drop in speed but, once the lockout ends, then the Jets coaching staff will no doubt be able to provide the requisite equipment to enable him to fully regain his strength and speed without putting excess strain on his back. Even if his recovery is slow, it might not matter because he isn’t a player that depends solely on his speed or strength to get open and make plays.

On the basis of my research today, I am hopeful that Cotchery could be 100% by the start of the season, whenever that is. There are no guarantees, as he could easily suffer a setback, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that this type of injury ought not to destroy the career of someone Jerricho’s age.

I’ll return to a more statistical bent next week. If you have any requests, please let me know.

The Good News: the author put a lot of thought and research into a solid article.

The Bad News: It doesn' mean jack squat.

Back injuries can have several causes, complicating factors, levels of severity, types of damage (including a wearing away of the nerve sheath, broken disk fragments, small and large herniation, multiple herniation, bone and spinal abnormalities, arthrtis, etc.). Comparing Cotchery's situation to Lee Roy Selmon's or Chris Calloway's is nonsensical. Unless the author can read an MRI, his conclusions are much ado about nothing.

[#27TheDominator]

If Cotchery has a "drop in speed" he'll have to move to tackle.

[flgreen]

The Good News: the author put a lot of thought and research into a solid article.

The Bad News: It doesn' mean jack squat.

Back injuries can have several causes, complicating factors, levels of severity, types of damage (including a wearing away of the nerve sheath, broken disk fragments, small and large herniation, multiple herniation, bone and spinal abnormalities, arthrtis, etc.). Comparing Cotchery's situation to Lee Roy Selmon's or Chris Calloway's is nonsensical. Unless the author can read an MRI, his conclusions are much ado about nothing.

This

Back injuries are extremely complicated, and unique to each individual