Projo Sports Blog

January 30, 2008 Archives

BY MIKE SZOSTAK
Journal Sports Writer

The Patriots are extremely fortunate that Tom Brady suffered what was apparently the mildest possible high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship game Jan. 20 against San Diego. Had the injury been more serious, he might not be available to play in the Super Bowl Sunday.

A high ankle sprain is damage to the ligaments that connect the lower portions of the tibia and fibula, the two bones that extend from knee to foot. It is more serious that its cousin, the simple ankle sprain, because it involves weight bearing structures and can take twice as long to heal. Athletes with high ankle sprains can be sidelined as long as 12 weeks.

Kim Bissonnette, head athletic trainer at the University of Rhode Island and the lead trainer for the URI football team, agreed that the Patriots took the proper approach with Brady by having him avoid any undue stress on his right leg last week. The All-Pro quarterback caused quite a stir when he was photographed wearing a protective boot while walking in Manhattan.

“Take the initial window of three days and extend it to four or five days and let him rest,” Bissonnette said. “Then tape it up and see what happens.”

Brady practiced Monday and completed the entire workout, even running a couple lengths of the field with the rest of the squad. A pool reporter noted that was limping slightly. If Brady did, indeed, suffer a low-grade high ankle sprain, the limp could have been the result of putting weight on that right ankle.

The Patriots never disclosed the specific injury.

A simple ankle sprain, usually the result of the foot twisting inward (or rolling so the arch faces up), involves stretching or tearing of the ligaments that connect the small bones in the ankle joint. Treatment involves rest, ice, compression and elevation to reduce swelling and provide support. Depending on the severity, recovery can take a few weeks.

A high ankle sprain, or syndesmosis injury, named for the rough edges of the two leg bones held together by the ligament, is usually the result of the foot being twisted out (so the arch faces down) or by the toe being forced up. There can be pain in the middle of the ankle joint and tenderness in front of the ankle but less swelling than in a simple ankle sprain.

Athletic trainers and doctors will suspect a high ankle sprain when squeezing the calf or rotating the ankle out causes pain. An x-ray made when the ankle is stressed will show abnormal motion of the lower ends of the leg bones in a high ankle sprain victim.

“The higher the soreness, the longer the person will be out. You can have pain going all the way up the leg,” Bissonnette said.

Patience is a necessary virtue in healing a high ankle sprain. Patients must let the ligaments heal so they can maintain the proper distance between the ends of the tibia and fibular. The proper functioning of other bones in the ankle joint depends on correct spacing.

Bissonnette said that athletes who come back too early run the risk of further injury that could require surgery to correct. Serious high ankle sprains can necessitate the insertion of screws through the fibula and into the tibia to stabilize the joint.

High ankle sprains account for about 10 percent of ankle sprains, although they seem to be occurring with increasing frequency.

“We have seen a lot more of them,” Bissonnette said. He is not sure if medical personnel are more knowledgeable than they were a generation or two ago or if the forces to which athletes are subject are greater because athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than a generation or two ago.

Sources: clevelandclinic.org, orthogate.org, about.com and thedisabledlist.com

We asked HSGametime.com readers to predict the winner of tonight's girls basketball game between Bay View and South Kingstown. There were 100 votes since yesterday, with 87 picking the Bengals (12-0 Division I, 15-1 overall) to beat the Rebels (12-0, 13-0) and become the only undefeated team in Division I. Tomorrow on HSGametime, we'll present a gallery of game photos as well as Carolyn Thornton's game story.

Right now, you can vote on Thursday's game of the day: Woonsocket vs. North Kingstown boys basketball.

| Categories High School

Click the play button below to see and hear the show, as Paul Kenyon previews the Rams game tonight at the Ryan Center against the Spiders.

| Categories URI Basketball

Before beginning her day on Wednesday, Patriots writer Shalise Manza Young spoke to Mike McDermott for this multimedia show. Click the play button below to listen and watch. Shalise will file multimedia reports tomorrow and Friday as well.

HOUSTON (AP) - Roger Clemens showed up at the Houston Astros' minicamp on Wednesday and sidestepped a question about his upcoming appearance before a House committee investigation performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

"I'm not going to talk about that," said Clemens, dressed in jogging pants, a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap. "I'm doing it the right way and do what I need to do. We're going to do it the right way."

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner has been invited to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for a deposition or transcribed statement on Feb. 5 and public testimony eight days later. His former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, and former teammate Andy Pettitte have also been invited.

McNamee said in last month's Mitchell Report on drug use in baseball that he injected Clemens at least 16 times with steroids or HGH in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens has repeatedly denied the accusations and Lanny Breuer, one of the pitcher's lawyers, said Tuesday that his client stood by his previous denials.

Clemens has a personal services contract with the Astros that starts following his retirement as a player. His oldest son, Koby, is a minor leaguer in the Astros system and is participating in the camp.

Not even Koby was sure whether his father would show this week. Clemens said the attention focused on him now was never going to deter him.

"Like I said, I'm not going anywhere," he said. "I think my track record is what it is. I think there's enough of you standing in front of me that have known me for a long, long time. It is what it is."

The Astros kept an open invitation for Clemens to participate in the minicamp, a precursor to spring training next month. Clemens planned to throw batting practice and talk to the Astros prospects.

"I'm doing everything I love to do. I mean, I'm not going anywhere," he said. "So I love to do these things, and the Astros and the other teams that I've worked with have always been real supportive. And like I said, if I can share any insight to these young kids at this level while they're trying to reach their goals, reach their dreams, it's all the more better."

On today's sports cover, Shalise Manza Young and Jim Donaldson report from the craziness that is Super Bowl Media Day, and Joe McDonald tells you why missing out on Johan Santana might not be such a bad thing for the Red Sox.

Click here to download the file in pdf format.