When linebacker E.J. Henderson’s lower leg flopped unnaturally after taking friendly fire to his thigh on Sunday night, many viewers feared that Henderson might never play again.
Not so, says a doctor who has treated skiers with the same injury.
Henderson fractured his femur, the large leg bone above the knee. Dr. David Thorson tells Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Henderson possibly could be running in two months.
“Assuming everything is as it should be, my guess is he’ll be participating in training camp,” said Thorson. “The bone heals fast, and he’s a healthy guy.”
Thorson explained that it can be more difficult to recover from a serious knee injury than a fractured femur. He said that a compression rod is inserted to stabilize the bone and prevent muscle spasms or further internal damage.
Though it’s important to note that Thorson hasn’t treated or evaluated Henderson (and, yes, we’ve previously criticized doctors for talking about patients other than their own), the perspective is surprisingly encouraging for one of the key members of the Minnesota defense.