For those who are new to Stampede Blue, let me introduce myself. Last year, to satisfy my curiosity of what happens to players after they magically come off Injured Reserve, I began to dig deeper to understand their path back to health. I am NOT a doctor, I do NOT play one on TV, and I did NOT stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but a little bit of patience and good Googling surfaces information that I pass on to others.
Today's patient:
Charlie Johnson, LT
Date of Injury: August 6, 2010
Nature of Injury: "Foot," maybe a sprain
Typical Rehab Process/Duration: depends entirely on the nature and severity of the injury
The first thing to point out - and perhaps the most relevant point in the post - is that this is not the first time Johnson has suffered from a foot injury.
A quick review of last year's injury reports reveals that he began to appear on them in late November. His foot kept him limited or out of practice for the rest of the year, though he did not sit out any meaningful games. Of course it is entirely possible that he has injured the other foot, or that the injury is different, but it's worth mentioning nonetheless.
As for sprains, the prognosis is usually for full recovery, but could be in as little as 1 or as long as 6 weeks. It's also possible that the sprain happened anywhere on his foot - between his toes and the main part of the foot, near the ankle, basically anywhere that bone meets ligament... and there are 26 bones in the foot!
We should have expected Charlie to be completely off his feet this weekend, elevating and icing his feet, and then resuming rehab only once he's pain-free. Some of that rehab could include such exhilarating exercises as picking up a hand towel with his toes.
The first regular season game is 6 weeks away, but I'm sand-bagging it a bit because the only report of Johnson's injury doesn't directly cite any team official.
Dr. Blue's Prognosis - Likelihood of Game 1 Appearance: Medium