Indy's Bob Sanders and the dreaded 'high' ankle sprain
The injury gremlin has resurfaced in Indianapolis. Colts' pro-bowl DB Bob Sanders has gone down with a high ankle sprain. This a tremendous blow to a defense that has already allowed 2 backs to rush for 100 yd.+ in their first two games. Bob Sanders with his big stick is known as the run stopper. Unfortunately, this defense was stopping no one and without arguably their best player the mountain that they must climb just got a bit more elevation.
A high ankle sprain is an injury to the ligament that holds the ankle together. The ankle truly only allows normal motion in one plane, up and down. Side-to-side movement and rotation normally takes place in bones lower in the foot. When a high ankle sprain occurs, the two bones (the tibia and fibula) that form the roof, inner and outer walls of the ankle can splay open. Thus causing instability and as Bob Sanders certainly will attest a great deal of pain. In many ways, he would have preferred suffering a broken ankle to this ligamentous injury. The healing of the bone in an ankle fracture has a much more predictable course and outcome.
The injury report states that he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. With many thinking he will be back on the field closer to the 4 week mark. Putting his body out on the field can be accomplished at almost anytime. Suiting up a pro-bowl caliber, game changing run stopper may be another matter all together.
If his ETR (expected time of return) is truly closer to 4 weeks instead of 6 or more, why is he considering also undergoing an arthroscopic knee surgery? Let's see...high ankle sprain + knee scope + rehab = 4 weeks and the return to pro-bowl caliber performance....looks like bad math to me.
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