The end of Bulger's career? Tibia determined

by Ryan Van Bibber on Nov 24, 2009 11:06 AM CST in 2009 St. Louis Rams regular season

I'm satisfied with a merciful end to Marc Bulger's career with the St. Louis Rams, but if you just can't get enough info about his cracked tibia, here's just what you're looking for.

Technically, it's a tibia plateau fracture. If you're looking for a comparable injury situation, there aren't many to be had. Joe Paterno suffered the same thing when his leg got steamrolled as a play bled into the sidelines. As for NFL players dealing with the same thing and what it might mean for Marc Bulger's future:

Besides that, the only records we have of NFL players suffering the injury are linemen. Such a fracture ended Bengals lineman Rich Braham's career in 2005, while late Oilers defensive lineman Jeff Alm had the same injury shortly before committing suicide during the 1993 season.

It sounds like a good bet that Bulger's season has ended. I suspect we might still see a move to IR in the near future too. Career ending? We'll have to wait and see.

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What is a

Tibial Plateau Fracture?

A tibial plateau fracture occurs at the top of the shin bone, and involves the cartilage surface of the knee joint. Because these fractures occur around the knee joint, they must be treated differently than the tibial shaft fractures discussed previously.

When a fracture occurs into or around a joint surface, that joint is at high risk of developing arthritis due to the injury. Unfortunately, even if the bone and cartilage surfaces are lined up perfectly, there is still a risk of developing arthritis due to injury to the cartilage cells.

Treatment:

Non-displaced fractures are cracks in the bone seen on x-ray, but with the bones remaining in their proper position and alignment. Most non-displaced fractures of the tibial plateau can be treated without surgery, but they usually require an extended period (about 3 months) of protection from walking.

Recovery:

Recovery from a tibial plateau fracture can take several months. Because the cartilage surface of the joint is involved, the knee must be protected from weight until the fracture has healed. Most commonly patients will be allowed to move the knee joint, but not put weight on the leg for about three months. The exact length of time of limitations will vary on the fracture type and the amount of healing that takes place.

Sounds like his season’s over (as if we didn’t really know) and it looks like he might have some issues starting next season on time. Especially if there’s any setbacks at all.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

by Tackle Box on Nov 24, 2009 11:21 AM CST reply actions