Why Was Tom Brady Wearing a Walking Cast for a Sprained Ankle?
You don’t have to be a New England Patriots fan to have heard about Tom Brady’s recent mysterious ankle injury. Safe money says if you have even a passing interest in football you’ve probably caught a bit of the hype.
The scoop: although no official reports are due to come out until Wednesday, Jan. 29 (don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted), many reporters are speculating that Tom Brady had a pretty rough game against the San Diego Chargers last Sunday at the AFC Championships. Several of his passes were wildly off course with receivers having to dive or reach to keep from fumbling the ball. For a player who holds the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a single season such spotty performance is hardly characteristic. There were also reports of Brady limping slightly at one point during the game. On Monday, when Brady paid a visit to his girlfriend, supermodel Gisele Bundchen’s apartment wearing a partially concealed walking cast speculation about a possible high ankle sprain rose to a crescendo. With Super Bowl XLII looming less than a week away, Tom Brady claims he’d “have to be on a stretcher” not to play in Sunday’s game, but Patriots fans are understandably apprehensive. Check out the Boston Herald’s excellent coverage of the story for more details and for a photo of Tom Brady wearing the walking cast in question.
Fearing for the health of their favorite quarterback, many football fans may be wondering just what a removable walking cast is and why Tom Brady would be wearing one if his injury truly is mild. A removable walking cast, such as the Royce Equalizer Air Walker, is a removable orthopedic apparatus that is prescribed by doctors to prevent further injury after a minor fracture or soft tissue injury. Ankle sprains are one of the more common soft tissue injuries. Other types of soft tissue injuries include repetitive stress injuries such as Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, tarsal tunnel syndrome, and bursitis as well as contusions (stone bruises) and strains.
Walking casts are mainly used to immobilize and cushion damaged tissue to prevent further injury. It is actually quite common for a doctor to recommend the immobilization of a minor sprain for a day or two after the sprain has initially occurred. A removable walking cast would be better for facilitating the healing of a sprain rather than a traditional plaster of paris cast because it would provide better blood circulation.
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