In January 2013, the football-following world got to know the name of Broncos safety Rahim Moore due to his role in a play that allowed the Ravens to force overtime in an AFC divisional-round playoff game against the Ravens. In November 2013, Moore’s name nearly became even more memorable -- for an entirely different reason.
As explained by Joan Niesen of TheMMQB.com, Moore came close to having his left leg amputated due to acute compartment syndrome. A condition that entails pressure continuously mounting within a compartment of muscle, nerves, and veins, serious consequences may occur without fact action.
It happened the night after the Broncos had hosted the Chiefs, a game with significant potential playoff implications. Moore’s leg hadn’t felt right since pre-game drills, and he eventually pulled himself from the contest to have the leg checked.
“I got an X-ray, and they told me there was no broken bone, no fracture, and I was like, ‘Cool. OK -- what else in the world can it be?’” Moore said.
The pain in the leg dissipated after the game, but the situation suddenly got worse as Moore was getting ready for bed.
“All of a sudden, my leg just got weak,” Moore said. “I felt like I had about 30 Band-Aids on my knee, and there was no feeling down my leg. I started to tear up, and I was like, What’s going on?”
Doctors at Sky Ridge Medical Center quickly diagnosed the problem, confirming the dangerous levels of pressure in the leg by inserting a needle into the area. They told Moore that, if he’d waited until noon on Monday to seek help, it would have been too late to save the leg. Eventually, it would have been too late to save Moore.
The Broncos initially placed Moore on injured reserve with the one-per-team-per-year designation to return. A setback derailed the plans for Moore to return during the postseason.
Now, Moore is back to normal -- but for the huge scar that runs along the left side of his lower leg.
“I didn’t know if I would ever walk again,” Moore said. “I didn’t know if I would ever be the Rahim that I know I can be, and also be able to have the footwork and be swift and things like that. The Lord definitely restored me.”
Most never knew how close Moore came to a much more serious, and permanent, outcome.