Stampede Blue: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
Around SBN: USA Today / SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings for October

Dr. Blue's Health of the Franchise - Ugoh

Caution: this post touches on a very sensitive injury and may cause grown men to double over in sympathy pain.  It may also cause grown women to channel their inner Beavis & Butthead in writing a blog post about it...

Tony Ugoh, LT
Date of Injury: September 14, 2008
Nature of Injury: Unspecified groin injury
Typical Rehab Process/Duration: Depends on nature and severity of injury, but for lower grade injuries typically RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.  Recovery ranges from a few weeks for grade 1 injuires, to 3 months for grade 3.
Players who have suffered similar injuries:  LaDainian Tomlinson, Terence Newman, the entire New Orleans Saints' kicking squad 

 2008_1207_cin_0324_larson_medium
via www.colts.com

Against Minnesota in Game 2, Tony Ugoh suffered what was later reported as a groin injury.  He was helped off the field at the end of the first half of the game, and did not return to play in the second half.  He didn't play in the next game (against Jacksonville), and the following week was a bye.  He played on special teams and as a reserve in the next 3 games, but did not start until the October 27 game against Tennessee, 6 weeks after his injury.

My research surfaced two types of acute groin injury:  (1) resulting from direct trauma common in contact sports; and (2) muscle strain in which there is a "forceful adduction of the hips…" i.e., closing your legs really fast (something that apparently accounts for 10% of ice hockey-related injuries).
 
Until looking at this case a little more closely, I used to think that a groin injury was simply a strained or torn muscle on the inner thigh up near the hoohoo.  Or that it was the vanity name for when baseball players are hit in the giblets by a line drive.  In fact these are but two examples of several possible injuries classified as a groin injury.  The groin consists of the area where the abdomen meets the legs and includes the structures of the perineum.  Basically, that means all those muscles between the pubic arch and the tailbone, inside and between the legs.  Think of it as the area covered by someone's tighty whities.  Seriously, think about it.  Folks, there are a lot of muscles down there, and more importantly there are a lot of muscles you don't want to strain, tear or otherwise injure… look up "perineum" on Wikipedia to get an idea (caution: probably not work friendly unless you work in a hospital or clinic).
 
As wild as our imagination might let us get, it is most likely that, based on his position and role in the offense, Ugoh was injured in an aggressive slide over to protect Manning from an oncoming defender.  Further, based on the speed with which he returned to the field, it is probably safe to classify the injury as no higher than severity grade 2, characterized by moderate discomfort and limited ability to run and jump.  That's not to diminish the pain he was probably experiencing, but had the injury been a complete rupture, he may have required surgery, and rehab would have probably taken months, not weeks.

In looking for information on recovery from groin injuries, I did find some nifty rehab aids with such names as the "McDavid Groin Strap" and my personal favorite, the "Vulkan Warm Pants" (a Best Seller!).  I hope I am never in a position to require such a device...

Given that Ugoh returned to the starting lineup after 6 weeks, and given that he's had a few months' rest, I am optimistic that he will be ready for game 1.

Dr. Blue's Prognosis - Likelihood of Game 1 Appearance: Very High

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

5 recs  |  Comment 13 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

More from Stampede Blue

Week 8: Friday Injury Report

Oct 2009 by shake n bake - 41 comments

Quick Recap: Colts 31-Titans 9

Oct 2009 by BigBlueShoe - 205 comments

Week 5: Final Injury Report

Oct 2009 by shake n bake - 16 comments

Comments

Display:

ahh I miss Beavis and Butthead

That does sound like a painful, albeit not enduring, injury. But since he’s likely to be 100% in time for training camp, I thought I would share some other names for perineum:

- taint
- chode
- grundle
- gooch

and not only my all-time favorite, but also the team name for all the intramural sports teams my friends and I had at IU:

- the sweaty ABC (ass-to-ball-connector) [inventor of the term is The Baker over at rumorsandrants.com, I figure it’s always nice to get a shameless plug]

"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."

by psvirsky on Jun 5, 2009 7:49 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Nice!

How can you not love a team that does this?

by LovinBlue on Jun 5, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Putting the family jewels on the line to protect his QB

Maybe someone should come up with a titanium cup to ensure this doesn’t happen often.

"I throw, you catch, it's not that hard."

by Indy Lori on Jun 5, 2009 10:50 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

That's a really awesome photo of Ugoh

Bullets Forever: A blog dedicated to the Washington Wizards with analysis, commentary, and more YouTube videos than your eyes can handle.

by JakeTheSnake on Jun 5, 2009 12:01 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Photo

It is, but makes me wonder if he’s acually handling two guys (awesome and nearly impossible) or instead of making a quick decision and taking one guy, he ended up whiffing in the gap by trying to slow both of them down (not so awesome)…. more data needed. But a cool shot, indeed.

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Jun 11, 2009 2:11 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Great Series

All of these DR. Blue reports have been great. They are incredibly insightful

by Colts Live Free or Die! on Jun 5, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Having had children...

I can tell you this is a very sensitive area. Probably TMI, but it makes me cringe just thinking about it and it was a long time ago…ah, memories…

Another awesome post Blue!

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jun 5, 2009 12:13 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Irsay's comments on Ugoh

Quote from this morning’s paper: “We gave up a lot for him to play left tackle, He’s got to be focused. He’s got to be ready to go.”

"I throw, you catch, it's not that hard."

by Indy Lori on Jun 8, 2009 12:44 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

"up the hoo hoo..." "giblets?"

Just exactly what kind of medical school did you not attend, doctor?

Groin injuries probably vary widely—I never thought they were actual, “groin stuff” until I read this, but as you say, very high and inside thigh stuff (which I am prone to tweaking—I went through many wrestling practices in HS with a tourniquet of tape wrapping my upper-upper thigh.) That injury makes it very hard to step with anything but a delicate gait, mentally concentrating on keeping your knees together to avoid further pain. And all these guys need to have wide, solid bases to play, so just taking a basic stance is painful, and pain diminishes strength and quickness, plus adds to fatigue.

But adding in actual gonad-esque or perinaeum-related injuries makes this general category much more daunting. Thanks for being brave enough to tackle it. It’s a great series. So what’s up with AV’s hip? Just a clean up and a lube job?

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Jun 11, 2009 2:09 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Perhaps a bionic hip...

ala Steve Austin?

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jun 11, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

What if Peyton had a bionic arm?

Actually he kinda does. peytonsthebest: I was browsing through the fanshot pictures, and came across the picture of Peyton with Sammy Baugh. I LOVED IT! I’ve never seen that one before, I’ve also never seen Peyton barefoot before, anyway, I’m adding it to my collection.

"I throw, you catch, it's not that hard."

by Indy Lori on Jun 12, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

link please!

How can you not love a team that does this?

by LovinBlue on Jun 13, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Here you go.

Link

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jun 15, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog about the Indianapolis Colts, 2006 NFL Champions!
Start posting about the Colts »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Naruto_rasengan_by_kishoto_small
The Day of Depth- An analysis of current injuries and their effects on our depth
Aaiu088_bob-sanders-posters_small
THE STATE OF THE TEXANS: WEEK 9 EDITION
Peyton_dungy_small
Perception altering Reality: Why the Colts are better than the Saints
No_1_small
Power Rankings - Week 9 - Final Update
Medium_jabe_small
One For the Ladies - The NFL's Best Looking Offense

Recent FanPosts

Bobzilla_small
Just to clear things up
Small
Jack Williams
Small
college football open thread
Small
Taj Smith?
Medium_jabe_small
Projecting This Week's Game-Day Scratches
Small
Bob Sanders done for year
Peyton_framed1_painting_small
Will Reggie top Marvin as Peyton's best WR?
N17901640_32485246_6102070_small
Twitter Updates from Adam Schefter
N20714104_32655596_7798_small
A Thought on Jackson's Injury

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

Latest NFL Headlines from SB Nation


Head Writer, Editor-In-Chief

Stampedeblue_small BigBlueShoe

Site Editor

Bob-sanders-081107_small shake n bake

Contributing Writers

Masonair_small JakeTheSnake

Mgrex03_avatar_small mgrex03

Seyton_manning_feature_small KingRichard

Change_small Colts Homer