Reinjury Might Not Jeopardize Peters' Career
Dr. Steven Cohen from the Rothman Institute says a second Achilles' tear during rehab shouldn't affect Jason Peters' chances to make a full recovery.
Reinjury Might Not Jeopardize Peters' Career
Les Bowen
It was alarming to learn that Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters had suffered an Achilles' tendon reinjury and had to undergo a second surgery recently, but most people around the team never thought Peters was going to make it back to play effectively this year, anyway. The big question the second surgery raises is whether Peters will recover completely, say, by next year, or ever, given the seriousness of an Achilles' tear.
Will this change the outlook?
"Not necessarily," said Dr. Steven Cohen of Philadelphia's Rothman Institute. Cohen is an orthopaedic surgeon who works in sports medicine. "It depends on where the tear is. Whether it's retorn from the same area, whether it's in a different area. It can retear in the same area...or it can retear in an area that's weaker, slightly above or below the (repaired) area of the tendon... If it was in a different area, then it's similar to just a primary repair, and he's just now a few months behind where he was because of a new injury."
Cohen cautioned, of course, that he is not involved in Peters' care and doesn't know many specifics. He said if Peters reinjured the original site, that opens the possibility of "gapping," in which there wouldn't be enough material to make another sturdy repair, and muscle or tendon from elsewhere would have to be grafted onto the tear. That would be a complicating factor, but once everything heals, "there's no reason you wouldn't be able to play," Cohen said.
Cohen said somewhere around 1 to 5 percent of the people who tear an Achilles' experience another tear while rehabbing. According to Comcast SportsNet.com, Peters suffered the reinjury when the Roll-A-Bout scooter he was riding at home collapsed and he fell. The scooters, which look like a stool outfitted with wheels and a retaining bar in front to keep the leg from sliding off, are often used in such cases now in lieu of crutches. The ComcastSportsNet.com story said Peters intends to sue the Roll-A-Bout manufacturer.
'That's certainly feasible, given his size," Cohen said, asked about the cart-collapse scenario. Peters usually weighs in the 340 range. The carts supposedly will support about 500 pounds; it would be possible for a 340-pounder to exert 500 pounds of force on the cart. "Certainly any issue with a fall can reinjure that area," Cohen said.
The Eagles signed free agent Demetress Bell from Buffalo to take Peters' place this season, but that is a tall order, given that Peters was among the top two or three left tackles in the NFL last year, and was an excellent fit for the scheme of offensive line coach Howard Mudd. Very few o-linemean offer the size and speed of Peters, who entered the league as a tight end.
Have your say: Grade the Eagles' 2012 draft haul
Buy 2012 Philadelphia Eagles game tickets 
CG25: Please, if the Eagles drafted a TE, and then tried to switch him to OT during training camp, you'd be ripping Reid & Co for being idiots for trying to turn a TE into an OT. Point being, there is nothing this team could do to make you happy, and I'm betting on the fact that that has something to do with your own short-comings, emphasis on short...but hey, keep your spirits up CG25, size doesn't matter...HA— JTR- Since when is 27 years old over the hill for an OL?— Penfold18
- Look, let's not kid ourselves, the real blame is on LARRY BROWN, for not drafting Paul Pierce, instead of Larry Hughes!!
R.I.P. Jason Peters!— ol duke - Just get healthy JP, you have more than earned your money... hope you make it back.— trinieagle
- Let's see...same redundant stupid comment from the first Peters article CHECK, Compounding it by saying acquiring an ALL PRO LT takes no brains CHECK, Saying all that Reid did was throw money at Peters which is completely inaccurate adding further stupidity to his post CHECK, AND throwing in the dumbest stat ever invented, the wins against winning team stat which is soooo stupid my 3 year old could shoot holes in it CHECK. Yep, that about covers it.
cg25...proving once again that stupidity is not confined to just one column per day. cg25...the Whack-a-Mole of philly.com. He pops up only to be smacked down again.— tpizza 
that was very good analysis pizza. I would personally recomend you for a GM job, very impressive. Get your resume ready.- I think it means the Eagles will be drafting a tackle in the 2013 NFL Draft— Craigger
- Clearly the takeaway message here is - don't work out.— hallux
- eagles have spent plenty of draft picks on ol in recent years so they can survive this injury...if rookies from cal marshall and georgia help on defense, they could be much better if they stay healthy...lb and safety were a disaster last year...— vegasphllyfan
- EVERYTHING the Eagles do is WRONG, and EVERYTHING the other teams do is RIGHT! That's why all 31 teams win the Super Bowl every year! LOL! Some of the idiots on these boards truly amaze me.— Penfold18
- cg25, you didn't list DTs you listed NTs...big difference in size requirement. Really said when you aren't satisfied with the TOP DT in the draft...as if anyone cares. BTW, a NT is a Nose Tackle and DTs are what you have every morning...your agenda is showing, as usual.
penfold18, I get the sarcasm but doubt the one it is aimed at does. Too banal to see it.
— tpizza - hahahahahahaha oh, oh, the other 31 teams win the Super Bowl every year :) (tpizza: Please, drop your variation of "even an idiot could see..." It's a lazy debating tactic that only fools the weak minded; I know that you can do better!)— Warhound
- Even Achilles didn't have this lousy luck— robinlupe
- I generally like seeing the Eagles lose- since 2005 and at least until they dump the loser Reid- but I loved watching Peters play the last two years. He was playing HOF caliber L Tackle that I've only seen from guys like Munoz and Roaf. It's tough to get back from that injury when you are carrying so much weight. Hopefully he saved his bonuses, can start losing 100 pounds, and can get a job talking on TV.— jtj06
