New England Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins' goal, according to the Boston Herald, is to be ready to return to the field from offseason knee surgery by the start of training camp. A prominent orthopedic surgeon recently told The Boston Globe, however, that the standard recovery time for such a procedure should put such an ambitious timeline in jeopardy.
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Dr. Daniel Kharrazi told The Globe that athletes typically need six months to recover from a torn anterior cruciate ligament -- a source confirmed to the Boston Herald on Monday that Mankins played through Super Bowl XLVI with an ACL tear and had surgery in the weeks after the loss -- and a quick return could put Mankins in risk of further injury.
"Frankly, I doubt his knee will be 100 percent (in less than six months), but pro athletes are made of a different cloth," Kharrazi said.
Kharrazi, a partner at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, where Tom Brady had his knee surgery in 2008, said it was likely that Mankins suffered a complete tear to his left ACL. "He would not have undergone surgery for a partial tear," Kharrazi said. "That's what they do reconstruction for."
The Herald reported Tuesday, via a person with knowledge of his condition, that Mankins probably had a partial tear. "He will be ready for camp," the source told the newspaper. The Herald also reported that Dr. Thomas Gill, the Patriots team physician, performed Mankins' reconstruction.
