I did a little internet search to see what I can find out about Jeremy Maclin and his hip injury he suffered in week 1 versus the Browns. There are reports of a hip flexor tear, hip flexor strain, and hip pointer. The first two are essentially the same thing, but as we talked about with Fred Jackson and different “grades” of ligament tears, it’s the same with muscle strains (http://tinyurl.com/bnx86oh). So based on the fact that he came back into the game and seemed to handle it ok, I would steer clear of a full or significant tear (I’d put it into the Grade 1-2 region).
So we have two diagnoses: Hip flexor strain and Hip pointer. Let’s talk a bit about both.
Hip flexor strain: This diagnosis typically refers to the Iliopsaos muscle group, which begins at the lumbar spine vertebrae/upper pelvis and ends at lesser trochanter, which is a bony prominence on the femur (thigh bone). This muscle group is responsible for exactly what it sounds like: it flexes the hip (think about standing and marching in place with one leg). With the skills positions, this muscle group is very important, as it is where the runner gets his “drive” and ability to accelerate forcefully. When someone has a hip flexor injury, they lose that drive and are not able to initiate the running motion as confidently or quickly. Since Maclin is frequently lining up out of the slot position and facing 5 yard bump coverage all game, this is key.
Like with any other muscle injury, the extent of the strain will determine the rehab prognosis and amount of time he will miss/be limited. Until an MRI is done and an official diagnosis is revealed, I’d put his missed time/limited time frame at around 3-4 weeks until he feels close to 100%. Always remember, however, with muscle injuries that REST is a big component of the rehab protocol, which probably can’t be counted on if he is playing hurt each week.
Hip Pointer: This injury is defined as a bruising to the iliac crest (the top of pelvic bone) that can result in a severe bone contusion, bruising to the hip flexor/abdominal musculature, and, in severe cases, bleeding in that region. The mechanism of injury for this condition is typically either a blow to the iliac crest or falling directly onto the iliac crest. These types of injuries will last ALL season if not treated properly for a few reasons: 1. Bone is, physiologically, not a fast healer due to lack of blood flow to the healing bone 2. Because bone/muscle/ligament/fascia are typically all involved, the general rule of thumb is the more structures involved, the lengthier and more complicated the rehab.
At the beginning of rehabbing a hip pointer, the acronym PRICE (Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) is typically used during the acute phase (0-10 days). What does that mean for a professional athlete who plays a contact sport and relies on speed/agility? It means he will lose quite a bit of what makes him so dynamic to begin with. Also, the next time he falls directly onto that region, padding or not, could set back the healing process.
Fantasy Impact: What does all this mean for our boy Maclin? Well, if both diagnoses are correct and involved, it’s obviously going to slow down the healing process. We always have to factor in that we’re talking about an elite athlete, which means he will heal faster than someone in the general population just because of how freakish of an athlete he is. If he continues to play through, I really think it’ll end up coming down to how much pain he can tolerate because this hip pointer issue will not just magically disappear. If he sits 1-2 weeks and allows the hip time to recover, I think he can be back at it by week 5-6 at the level he was this week prior to the injury. Again, wait until more information comes up, but in terms of week 2, whether he’s active or not, I don’t like him.
Ziad Dahdul 