Indianapolis Colts former QB Peyton Manning gets nod from another doctor – NFL News
Another day, another doctor and another opinion for the injured quarterback, Peyton Manning, but all of them are unanimous with the view that the player is least likely to suffer the neck injury again after he returns from it and starts playing again.
They agree that the player will be able to gain previous health and fitness, play effectively and take and sustain all the hits with almost no risk of suffering the injury again.
Peyton had a neck surgery in September 2011, which was his third, but different reports strongly indicate that it was his fourth surgery in the last 19 months.
He missed the entire 2011-12 National Football League (NFL) season with the same problem and is still out working on recovery and rehabilitation.
Amid his absence, a number of speculations have kept circulating in the football community with different physical trainers, general physicians and surgeons giving their respective and sometimes contradictory opinions on the player’s chances of playing football
again.
An anonymous surgeon told a section of media a couple of weeks ago that the player would be able to fully recover, but there is a dormant period in the process that shows the recovery is not progressing, but in reality it is well on track.
He suggested the teams looking to sign Manning to calculate his current status of health and fitness while comparing it to his performance over last six months, and the progress can be noticeable.
Now similar opinion has come from Dr. Robert S. Bray Jr., who has experience of working on such injuries. He has also worked with the National Hockey League (NHL) player, Sidney Crosby.
Bray said that the risk of the player suffering the same injury again was very low and the player will be able to take and sustain hits after his complete recovery.
He said:
"His risk really is very low."
The doctor advised teams who are interested in the player should ask following questions:
"If I was a team, I'd ask, 'Did (the fusion) heal? Do you have a CAT scan that showed it healed? Is the rest of the neck in pretty good shape?”
He added:
"If those two answers are yes, then it gets down to, 'OK, get out on the field and show me you can perform,' because it will only get better from here with time."
Peyton’s own surgeon is Dr. Robert Watkins, and Bray was of the view that Peyton’s doctor would not allow him to work out while the possibility of risk was still there.
Bray added the player was with the best doctor and he must be able to fit and gain previous fitness before showing up on the field.
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