... If a bone needs to be repaired or fortified, Mayfield could be looking at a long recovery time, Dr. Brian Schulz, M.D., sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, said in a phone interview.
Every time the shoulder pops out, “you can have a new injury or worsening of the pre-existing injury,’’ which could mean a more invasive surgery, Schulz said.
...at some point soon, would be to have the surgery now and start the recovery process for next season. That would have him back in full football activity by about April — the start of the offseason program — providing he doesn’t need bone repair. If he does, it would require pins or screws, or possibly even a bone graft if it got bad enough.
If it’s just the current fracture which will heal on its own, Mayfield would only need a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure, which can be done on an outpatient basis. Still, he would need 4-6 months to return to full football activity.
“It takes two to three months for the labrum to heal, so if you’re going to fix it, you want to give it adequate time to heal,’’ Schulz said. “And then you’ve got to strengthen the muscles again.’’
Schulz said Mayfield will need surgery either during or after the season “because he’s not going to want to have to deal with his shoulder popping out here and there the rest of his career.’’