A month and a half after Ryan Tannehill suffered a partial tear in his ACL, the Dolphins quarterback's rehab is going so well that those involved believe he will not need a full reconstruction prior to the 2017 season, sources say.
Tannehill has a benchmark MRI later today, and more details should be known. But at this point, after countless strengthening and rehab exercises, Tannehill's knee is stable enough to feel confident going into the season, per sources.
Tannehill's MCL, which was also damaged in the late-season hit, is actually giving him more problems than the ACL. MCL sprains aren't fixed surgically, and he will be fine long before the season.
Tannnehill has even played basketball as part of rehab to work on sudden movements, and his knee has held up well. He will likely wear a brace while playing going forward, but there is not the feeling of looseness in the knee that indicates more surgery is needed.
Tannehill had a healing procedure done by Dr. James Andrews a few weeks following the injury, and he may head to Germany for a knee procedure called Regenokine, a form of platelet-rich plasma therapy made famous by Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Essentially, it takes a patient's blood, spins it to separate the platelets, then is re-injected into the knee.
It promotes healing.
For the Dolphins quarterback, the fact that he's talking about this procedure rather than ACL reconstruction is good news.
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