Robbins' microfracture surgery a big deal

by Ed Valentine on Jun 4, 2009 8:35 AM EDT in News Comment 20 comments

Fred Robbins' revelation that he had microfracture surgery on his knee explains why the New York Giants were so aggressive in the off-season with the signings of defensive tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News explains.

Microfracture surgery is an increasingly common procedure used by orthopedic surgeons to repair damaged cartilage. It’s an arthroscopic procedure in which the surgeon creates tiny holes (microfractures) in the bone near the damaged cartilage, which allows the body to build new cartilage.

Typical recovery time for such a procedure is about 4-6 months, though four months is considered to be optimistic and it could be considerably longer than six months depending on a variety of factors, including weight and age. Robbins is 32 and is listed at 6-4, 317. It’s not known exactly what date he had the surgery, but it was first revealed at the scouting combine in late February.

Even if the surgery took place right after the Giants’ season ended on Jan. 11, a six-month recovery time would push him awfully close to the start of training camp on Aug. 3.

The procedure has been used for more than a decade and was controversial when it was first implemented, but it has become much more commonplace in recent years. Still, it has taken some professional athletes a full year to recover from the surgery. And many, many pro athletes - from former Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn, to former NBA stars Penny Hardaway and Allan Houston - were never the same after the surgery.

The procedure has been performed on many NBA players, and one study showed that 33 percent of NBA players having the procedure never played again. Here is another study showing that in more than 40% of microfracture surgery cases, athletes do not reach previous performance levels.

If you're interested, here is an explanation of the procedure.

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Didn't know

Fred had microfracture, or at least forgot. THat’s serious stuff obviously.

Fred isn’t running around on a basketball court or in the secondary like Sehorn, but he is heavy and while 32 is by no means old it might as well be 90 for a 320lb DT.

I hope he returns to normal, but that might be asking a lot.

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 4, 2009 10:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I thought it was just something minor

Like a simple clean-up and be back in no time.

So i guess, the prognosis could be considered iffy, and Canty and Bernard’s signings seem more significant. I figured they were adding serious depth, as to not get worn down.

And didn’t Cofield have something done too? Now i’m curious what he had done!

by Hootman on Jun 4, 2009 10:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Cofield

also had knee surgery, though less significant from what I understand.

by Ed Valentine on Jun 4, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

From what i could look up (after i got up from my lazy butt lol)

Cofield, did have a “minor” surgery to his knee. Also to add, from another outlet, they described it as a scope! So i’m assuming it’s alot less (in severity) in the recovery time/or nature than Freddies too!

Still though, a surgery is a surgery. However severe, it’s the fact of the matter and should be cautiously observed for the sake of the player (their future), if not for the team (secondary)!

by Hootman on Jun 4, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Signs

I know they kept telling everyone that Robbins was going to be fine, but it didn’t sit right and there were enough whispers around to be suspicious. I still hope Robbins recovers, but it definitely makes all the signings more significant (as noted by Hootman).

by potroast on Jun 4, 2009 11:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Talk about a guy gutting it out,

playing with that knee and a broken hand. I always thought JR getting Robbins was a steal. Now, he seems even more of a treasure. Let’s hope he can make it all the way back.

by blue gonz on Jun 4, 2009 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

and I had heard it was 2 broken hands ! Amazing. What other sport can you even think of playing like that ? Gotta admire the grit on these guys.

by Shofner85 on Jun 4, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

poker?

what…it IS on ESPN

by cjmulrain on Jun 5, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hockey

A leafs player once scored an OT winner playing on a broken bone in his leg. Mario lemiux had a broken bone in his hand and only missed a week of the play-offs (played int he final two rounds).

by brisulph on Jun 5, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Get Andy Pettite on the phone!

He’s my hookup for HGH. Great stuff for recovery!
Seriously, always loved the Cofield/Robbins tandem, heck, they were half the ’07 D-Line! Hope Robbins comes back strong and the lightened workload allows him to be productive through… February.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Jun 4, 2009 12:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

now

that Canty signing is more defensible

by queler on Jun 4, 2009 12:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The best thing about depth

is that the Giants don’t have to rush Robbins’ recovery at all. If he’s not in top form until midway through the season, he can still be a contributor. In fact, having a really fresh Robbins for the last half of the season could even turn out to be an advantage. I guess Alford’s spot on the team is even more secure now though.

by Tucker Fredrickson on Jun 4, 2009 1:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i wouldn't put money on it

He’s gotta get back in to shape, and he wasn’t really in good condition to begin with

by queler on Jun 4, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed ... but ...

this is why the current IR system sucks, as it’s tough with all of the other injuries that occur to carry a guy half-way thru the season with a roster spot. I think we may be able to avoid that the first 6 games with the PUP list or some such thing, but I liked the old days when you got “X” number of “moves” relative to IR (especially helpful to a team that drafts well and stock-piles talent a bit better than others – even in the age of the cap).

by Shofner85 on Jun 4, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Had the same surgery a month ago. It all depends on the size of cartilage they remove. If its not that large, it should be fine. The other option as is more invasive and higher success rate and that would take a year + to fully recover which at that age and sport could be career-ending. (The option would be coring a piece of bone on his knee and replacing it with the same size bone and cartilage from a cadaver. The more invasive surgery has a higher rate of success.)

The recovery time for the microfracture much shorter and but you could be weight bearing in as little as three weeks with rehab being 6-9 weeks. Its never a hundred percent but the shortened recovery time gives him chance to show the team he could still do it.

by Lucky7 on Jun 4, 2009 4:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs