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Jermichael Finley has a serious infection in his knee (1 Viewer)

Babu Bhatt2

Footballguy
Per profootballtalk:

Jermichael Finley has emergency surgery due to infection

Posted by Mike Florio on November 2, 2010 10:57 PM ET

Usually, we hear that surgical procedures performed on pro athletes were at all times a success. When there's a complication, a public announcement rarely comes.

That's precisely what happened with Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, who underwent leg surgery after being injured on October 17 against the Redskins.

"I had a second surgery," Finley told Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee. "Nobody knows about it. I had caught a real small infection in my knee, so I had to go in about a week ago, had to go back under and get the infection out. I was in the hospital for two days. I'm surprised nobody knew about it. I had to get all these antibiotics in me, get blood drawn four or five times a day. It's terrible. Right now, I've got this IV in my chest, a central line."

A central line? It doesn't sound like a "real small" infection at all.

"t was emergency surgery," Finley said. "I had a 105 fever, I called Doc [team physician Pat McKenzie] and said, 'I'm not feeling too good,' and we had to rush in and clean out the infection. I don't know what it's called. I guess you could call it a staph infection, but I don't think that's what it was. But I had to rush in and they put a central line in my chest. I won't get this taken out for another month and a half. Three times a day I have to get antibiotics put through it."

Again, it doesn't sound like a "real small" infection at all.

We wish Finley well in his recovery. And we hate to see what condition he'd be in right now if it had been a "real big" infection.

 
Yikes. Definitely not a small infection. I've had a number of surgeries in the last couple of years, and while I never had any infections as a result, it was something that was closely monitored. My doctors FREAKED out when I had like a 100.1 fever. (Granted, I had a weakened immune system after my chemo, but still...)

The bigger question is whether this will have any impact on his knee recovery... Definitely not something to ignore.

 
Yikes. Definitely not a small infection. I've had a number of surgeries in the last couple of years, and while I never had any infections as a result, it was something that was closely monitored. My doctors FREAKED out when I had like a 100.1 fever. (Granted, I had a weakened immune system after my chemo, but still...)The bigger question is whether this will have any impact on his knee recovery... Definitely not something to ignore.
IIRC, an infection after knee surgery ended Joe Jurevicious' career. This definitely could be a problem.
 
Yikes is right!

105 is crazy high. This sounds way more serious than a staph infection.

Hopefully he'll recover just fine.

 
Yikes. Definitely not a small infection. I've had a number of surgeries in the last couple of years, and while I never had any infections as a result, it was something that was closely monitored. My doctors FREAKED out when I had like a 100.1 fever. (Granted, I had a weakened immune system after my chemo, but still...)The bigger question is whether this will have any impact on his knee recovery... Definitely not something to ignore.
IIRC, an infection after knee surgery ended Joe Jurevicious' career. This definitely could be a problem.
Didn't Brady also have an infection after his knee surgery? Pretty sure he did, and he didn't miss any time because of it.
 
Yikes. Definitely not a small infection. I've had a number of surgeries in the last couple of years, and while I never had any infections as a result, it was something that was closely monitored. My doctors FREAKED out when I had like a 100.1 fever. (Granted, I had a weakened immune system after my chemo, but still...)The bigger question is whether this will have any impact on his knee recovery... Definitely not something to ignore.
IIRC, an infection after knee surgery ended Joe Jurevicious' career. This definitely could be a problem.
Didn't Brady also have an infection after his knee surgery? Pretty sure he did, and he didn't miss any time because of it.
Yea, he did. But he doesn't rely on his speed like Finley does.At the moment, all we can take from this is that it's not a sure thing that Finley recovers completely from his injury. If he loses his ability to separate he could become Bubba Franks.
 
Yikes. Definitely not a small infection. I've had a number of surgeries in the last couple of years, and while I never had any infections as a result, it was something that was closely monitored. My doctors FREAKED out when I had like a 100.1 fever. (Granted, I had a weakened immune system after my chemo, but still...)The bigger question is whether this will have any impact on his knee recovery... Definitely not something to ignore.
IIRC, an infection after knee surgery ended Joe Jurevicious' career. This definitely could be a problem.
Didn't Brady also have an infection after his knee surgery? Pretty sure he did, and he didn't miss any time because of it.
Yea, he did. But he doesn't rely on his speed like Finley does.At the moment, all we can take from this is that it's not a sure thing that Finley recovers completely from his injury. If he loses his ability to separate he could become Bubba Franks.
Joe Jurevicus got done in by advanced age for a football player and multiple knee surgeries. Finley is young and hasn't had as many surgeries. The infection once it clears up won't affect his ability to separate.
 
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I was at 104 when I had swine flu. Of course Finley has to 1up me.

"Central line" is obviously a catheter so that they don't have to constantly inject him with stuff.

See this is why people don't like hospitals.

 
Yikes is right!

105 is crazy high. This sounds way more serious than a staph infection.

Hopefully he'll recover just fine.
I had a strep infection in my knee after very minor surgery. I was back in the hospital for 8 days on a IV. This was by far the worst pain I ever felt..I feel bad for Finley. This will set his rehab back as well because his knee will be very sore for a few weeks from the infection.

 
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Yikes is right!

105 is crazy high. This sounds way more serious than a staph infection.

Hopefully he'll recover just fine.
I had a strep infection in my knee after very minor surgery. I was back in the hospital for 8 days on a IV. This was by far the worst pain I ever felt..I feel bad for Finley. This will set his rehab back as well because his knee will be very sore for a few weeks from the infection.
Sounds like a similar situation. Couple days ago on twitter he said the knee felt great so hopefully hes not experiencing the kind of pain you did.
 
Yea, he did. But he doesn't rely on his speed like Finley does.At the moment, all we can take from this is that it's not a sure thing that Finley recovers completely from his injury. If he loses his ability to separate he could become Bubba Franks.
Why would you make this leap?How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue. Sure it's a concern, but the greater concern would be if his injury couldn't be repaired or if the surgeons found structural damage inside the knee, which would significantly alter his rehab schedule.The latest info I have on his injury was that he had a meniscus tear. Finley was lucky in that they didn't have to do a partial or complete menisectomy, which would have a much greater impact on him during his career. In this procedure, they were able to stitch his meniscus back together (Anquan Boldin had the same procedure a few years back), but because there is little-to-no blood flow to the meniscus this type of procedure takes much longer to recover from. Based on the type of meniscus repair he had it's not too likely he'd be doing heavy rehab for a while anyway because the risk to popping stitches would be too great. The central line thing is scary, no doubt, but they seem to have been successful in ridding Finley of the infection and the central line is likely the most efficient and effective way of pumping him full of the antibiotics he needs.Back away from the ledge folks.
 
Yikes is right!

105 is crazy high. This sounds way more serious than a staph infection.

Hopefully he'll recover just fine.
I had a strep infection in my knee after very minor surgery. I was back in the hospital for 8 days on a IV. This was by far the worst pain I ever felt..I feel bad for Finley. This will set his rehab back as well because his knee will be very sore for a few weeks from the infection.
Sounds like a similar situation. Couple days ago on twitter he said the knee felt great so hopefully hes not experiencing the kind of pain you did.
It comes up very fast. If the infection is in his knee joint the pain is unbearable..it would be way worse than his original injury as far as pain goes. The good thing is that if it is under control he should be good to go in 3-4 weeks.

 
Surgical infections are more common then you think. Does nobody remember Brady being revised multiple times bc of infections with his ACL? They basically go in and flush the knee with massive amounts of saline and antibiotics. Bottom line, this will have no affect on his playing career.

 
How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue.
LeCharles Bentley says hello:
Bentley revealed that he had undergone four operations since getting hurt, the final two to clean out a staph infection that ate away at his tendon
Also, Necrotization is one of the main symptoms of MERSA...
The most common manifestations of CA-MRSA are skin infections such as necrotizing fasciitis or pyomyositis (most commonly found in the tropics), necrotizing pneumonia, infective endocarditis (which affects the valves of the heart), or bone or joint infections
 
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How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue.
LeCharles Bentley says hello:
Bentley revealed that he had undergone four operations since getting hurt, the final two to clean out a staph infection that ate away at his tendon
Also, Necrotization is one of the main symptoms of MERSA...
The most common manifestations of CA-MRSA are skin infections such as necrotizing fasciitis or pyomyositis (most commonly found in the tropics), necrotizing pneumonia, infective endocarditis (which affects the valves of the heart), or bone or joint infections
I love that a Browns fan is the resident expert on this.
 
So this sounds like they are treating him for a bone infection, and not a virus. Six weeks of IV antibiotic therapy is pretty standard, and the central line means that he can get his medication at home. While it is possible that it is MRSA, it appears that they have found a regimen that the organism is sensitive to. But a central line and the drugs they are likely using all have their own "issues", so he certainly deserves some well wishes/thoughts/prayers/etc.

Now what does this mean for his ability to play football, I can't say. Isn't there a doctor in the house?

 
How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue.
LeCharles Bentley says hello:
Bentley revealed that he had undergone four operations since getting hurt, the final two to clean out a staph infection that ate away at his tendon
Also, Necrotization is one of the main symptoms of MERSA...
The most common manifestations of CA-MRSA are skin infections such as necrotizing fasciitis or pyomyositis (most commonly found in the tropics), necrotizing pneumonia, infective endocarditis (which affects the valves of the heart), or bone or joint infections
I was speaking in generalities about "normal" infections, since we do not currently have medical confirmation of the type of infection Finley had.The information is very interesting and certainly provides additional context, but in the absence of medical confirmation that Finley had a staph infection or that it was necrotizing, jumping to conclusions about what happened doesn't help anyone.

From your bolded statement above, Bentley had 4 surgeries, 2 of which cleaned out the staph infection, so there was a history there that likely worsened his case, medically speaking.

Until there is further confirmation on what, exactly, happened to Finley or that he has 3 more surgeries for a necrotizing infection the comparasin between Bentley and Finley is somewhat apples and oranges.

 
How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue.
LeCharles Bentley says hello:
Bentley revealed that he had undergone four operations since getting hurt, the final two to clean out a staph infection that ate away at his tendon
Also, Necrotization is one of the main symptoms of MERSA...
The most common manifestations of CA-MRSA are skin infections such as necrotizing fasciitis or pyomyositis (most commonly found in the tropics), necrotizing pneumonia, infective endocarditis (which affects the valves of the heart), or bone or joint infections
I was speaking in generalities about "normal" infections, since we do not currently have medical confirmation of the type of infection Finley had.The information is very interesting and certainly provides additional context, but in the absence of medical confirmation that Finley had a staph infection or that it was necrotizing, jumping to conclusions about what happened doesn't help anyone.

From your bolded statement above, Bentley had 4 surgeries, 2 of which cleaned out the staph infection, so there was a history there that likely worsened his case, medically speaking.

Until there is further confirmation on what, exactly, happened to Finley or that he has 3 more surgeries for a necrotizing infection the comparasin between Bentley and Finley is somewhat apples and oranges.
Not to mention, bentley tore his patella tendon while finley tore his meniscus. The difference in severity of injury is huge.
 
Yea, he did. But he doesn't rely on his speed like Finley does.At the moment, all we can take from this is that it's not a sure thing that Finley recovers completely from his injury. If he loses his ability to separate he could become Bubba Franks.
Why would you make this leap?How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue. Sure it's a concern, but the greater concern would be if his injury couldn't be repaired or if the surgeons found structural damage inside the knee, which would significantly alter his rehab schedule.The latest info I have on his injury was that he had a meniscus tear. Finley was lucky in that they didn't have to do a partial or complete menisectomy, which would have a much greater impact on him during his career. In this procedure, they were able to stitch his meniscus back together (Anquan Boldin had the same procedure a few years back), but because there is little-to-no blood flow to the meniscus this type of procedure takes much longer to recover from. Based on the type of meniscus repair he had it's not too likely he'd be doing heavy rehab for a while anyway because the risk to popping stitches would be too great. The central line thing is scary, no doubt, but they seem to have been successful in ridding Finley of the infection and the central line is likely the most efficient and effective way of pumping him full of the antibiotics he needs.Back away from the ledge folks.
Some antibiotics have adverse effects on the tendons and bones. Tetracycline for example.And someone mentioned, yes, MRSA can be necrotic but this is pretty uncommon. 20-30% of people are carriers for Staph aureus on their skin alone. And they are asymptomatic carriers. (if I remember correctly, I'm pulling this stat from off the top of my head) Even so, necrotizing fasciitis typically eats away at superficial tissue, not deep structures such as tendons and bones. 105 degrees is very high and a central catheter is not something you just put in for a day, pump him full of bacteriocidals, and just take it out. They usually stay in for a long time.
 
Guys...

Your missing the forest from the trees... the problem with the infection is the fact that it's a complication and a life threat at that.

These extra procedures slow down rehabilitation and increase the chances for scar tissue that causes permanent damage to the knee. I know from personal experience. I got a blood clot and staff infection. The combination resulted in a scar tissue condition called arthrofibrosis. I was crippled for 2 years and will never never be competitive again.

I was able to call Slatons career when he was being drafted in the first round of many fantasy football leagues because of his problems.

Any complication with a knee is serious and can end a career.

So far this sounds okay, assuming they are releasing all information. But, again... remember it's the scar tissue that causes permanent damage.

 
ESPN mag did a big story about Staph infections and athletes. It is a big problem. There are a surprising number of people who's careers have been ended by this.

Edited to add:

Link

 
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ESPN mag did a big story about Staph infections and athletes. It is a big problem. There are a surprising number of people who's careers have been ended by this.

Edited to add:

Link
Thanks for the article. It brought back some memories I haven't had in awhile.... Sometimes I forget how special every day is.

I was running a 104.8 temperature before I passed out and ended up in the emergency room. They don't mention that the blood clots feel like you've been shot with a harpoon. At least that's how my leg felt. I really thought I was going to die or be crippled for my entire life...

SERIOUS.. if you or anyone you ever know has to have knee surgery / arthroscopic surgery don't take it lightly. We hear about all these routine procedures that people have and their on the ski slopes in a month or two. Just realize there is a small percentage that you could fall in and then you're fighting for your lively hood... my lesson learned was to ALWAYS and mean always find top notch care and never do a surgery before/during a holiday. My orthopedic surgeon and staff was partying it up at a bowl game and no one would answer the pager while I was going from 104 -105.

Pure hell.. pure hell.

 
montanagold said:
Drunken Cowboy said:
ESPN mag did a big story about Staph infections and athletes. It is a big problem. There are a surprising number of people who's careers have been ended by this.

Edited to add:

Link
Thanks for the article. It brought back some memories I haven't had in awhile.... Sometimes I forget how special every day is.

I was running a 104.8 temperature before I passed out and ended up in the emergency room. They don't mention that the blood clots feel like you've been shot with a harpoon. At least that's how my leg felt. I really thought I was going to die or be crippled for my entire life...

SERIOUS.. if you or anyone you ever know has to have knee surgery / arthroscopic surgery don't take it lightly. We hear about all these routine procedures that people have and their on the ski slopes in a month or two. Just realize there is a small percentage that you could fall in and then you're fighting for your lively hood... my lesson learned was to ALWAYS and mean always find top notch care and never do a surgery before/during a holiday. My orthopedic surgeon and staff was partying it up at a bowl game and no one would answer the pager while I was going from 104 -105.

Pure hell.. pure hell.
And always take the antibiotic prescriptions seriously. I know some people don't fill them or take them.
 
Finley is so awesome that even infections have to get serious about attacking him. :thumbup:

There's a LOT of time before he has to be game-ready. Infections are serious by nature, but a serious one carries even more career-ending risk. But it doesn't sound like that makes it likely, probable or even common. Much more likely that he'll be fine when summer 2011 rolls around.

 
I am an orthopaedic surgeon. While I don't have Finley's chart in front of me; some things are common among all infections.

1. This is MSSA. (Methacillin-sensitive Staph Aureus).. That means it is sensitive to more common antibioitcs. However, if left untreated can still be damaging.

2. Because he has a history of infection (in high school), he had a higher risk of infection during this surgery.

3. It is very good that this was caught early. Because infection in the knee (septic arthritis) is very damaging to the cartilage in the knee. ALL bacteria will damage the cartilage in the knee if left untreated. There is no "small infections" in a knee joint. All joint infections are surgical emergencies to help prevent damage to the cartialge of the joint.

4. The central line (or more likely a PICC line) is routine treatment for these infections; as well as 6 weeks of antibiotics.

5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.

6. Even with proper treatment, infection can persist. Repeat surgery is possible if he does not respond to treatment.

****

None of the above constitutes medical advice.

 
I am an orthopaedic surgeon. While I don't have Finley's chart in front of me; some things are common among all infections.1. This is MSSA. (Methacillin-sensitive Staph Aureus).. That means it is sensitive to more common antibioitcs. However, if left untreated can still be damaging. 2. Because he has a history of infection (in high school), he had a higher risk of infection during this surgery.3. It is very good that this was caught early. Because infection in the knee (septic arthritis) is very damaging to the cartilage in the knee. ALL bacteria will damage the cartilage in the knee if left untreated. There is no "small infections" in a knee joint. All joint infections are surgical emergencies to help prevent damage to the cartialge of the joint.4. The central line (or more likely a PICC line) is routine treatment for these infections; as well as 6 weeks of antibiotics.5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.6. Even with proper treatment, infection can persist. Repeat surgery is possible if he does not respond to treatment.****None of the above constitutes medical advice.
:goodposting: Remind me not to mess up my knees!Thanks for the info, doc!-QG
 
I am an orthopaedic surgeon. While I don't have Finley's chart in front of me; some things are common among all infections.1. This is MSSA. (Methacillin-sensitive Staph Aureus).. That means it is sensitive to more common antibioitcs. However, if left untreated can still be damaging. 2. Because he has a history of infection (in high school), he had a higher risk of infection during this surgery.3. It is very good that this was caught early. Because infection in the knee (septic arthritis) is very damaging to the cartilage in the knee. ALL bacteria will damage the cartilage in the knee if left untreated. There is no "small infections" in a knee joint. All joint infections are surgical emergencies to help prevent damage to the cartialge of the joint.4. The central line (or more likely a PICC line) is routine treatment for these infections; as well as 6 weeks of antibiotics.5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.6. Even with proper treatment, infection can persist. Repeat surgery is possible if he does not respond to treatment.****None of the above constitutes medical advice.
:goodposting:
 
I am an orthopaedic surgeon. While I don't have Finley's chart in front of me; some things are common among all infections.1. This is MSSA. (Methacillin-sensitive Staph Aureus).. That means it is sensitive to more common antibioitcs. However, if left untreated can still be damaging. 2. Because he has a history of infection (in high school), he had a higher risk of infection during this surgery.3. It is very good that this was caught early. Because infection in the knee (septic arthritis) is very damaging to the cartilage in the knee. ALL bacteria will damage the cartilage in the knee if left untreated. There is no "small infections" in a knee joint. All joint infections are surgical emergencies to help prevent damage to the cartialge of the joint.4. The central line (or more likely a PICC line) is routine treatment for these infections; as well as 6 weeks of antibiotics.5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.6. Even with proper treatment, infection can persist. Repeat surgery is possible if he does not respond to treatment.****None of the above constitutes medical advice.
Yes... and sorry doc, but after what I went through my recommendation to most people/weekend warriors 28+ years old that can rehab their knee is to skip any orthopedic surgery. Sometimes it's time to grow up and leave some things behind. You would be amazed what you can do without that ACL... now, not all cases are equal, but..... if you're a weekend warrior THERE IS NO RUSH ON THIS PROCEDURE. LET THE KNEE COOL OFF, GET THE MUSCLES STRONG, PREPARE FOR THIS PROCEDURE. You will probably be the 97% of people that have no problem, but god if you fall in that 3% group life is HELL.
 
5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.
Which meniscus repair are you talking about? Mine, I was fully active in 3 weeks. Big Ben was playing in the NFL after 4 weeks. Edit: Wrong length.
 
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5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.
Which meniscus repair are you talking about? Mine, I was fully active in 3 weeks. Big Ben was playing in the NFL after 4 weeks. Edit: Wrong length.
I'm guessing that you didn't have a "meniscus repair", but rather had part of the meniscus removed. I don't think they allow weight bearing on a mensicus repair for longer than the time period you are suggesting.
 
5. After a meniscus repair, rehab is usually slow during the first 4 weeks anyway. Mostly focusing on range of motion and not weightbearing/strengthening. But this will delay his rehab about 2-3 weeks.
Which meniscus repair are you talking about? Mine, I was fully active in 3 weeks. Big Ben was playing in the NFL after 4 weeks. Edit: Wrong length.
Sounds like you just had scope and clean up... personally I had a bucket handle tear. But, I also blew the ACL and MCL.
 
Yea, he did. But he doesn't rely on his speed like Finley does.

At the moment, all we can take from this is that it's not a sure thing that Finley recovers completely from his injury. If he loses his ability to separate he could become Bubba Franks.
Why would you make this leap?How will an infection make Finley lose his ability to seperate? An infection does not eat away at muscle or tissue. Sure it's a concern, but the greater concern would be if his injury couldn't be repaired or if the surgeons found structural damage inside the knee, which would significantly alter his rehab schedule.

The latest info I have on his injury was that he had a meniscus tear. Finley was lucky in that they didn't have to do a partial or complete menisectomy, which would have a much greater impact on him during his career. In this procedure, they were able to stitch his meniscus back together (Anquan Boldin had the same procedure a few years back), but because there is little-to-no blood flow to the meniscus this type of procedure takes much longer to recover from.

Based on the type of meniscus repair he had it's not too likely he'd be doing heavy rehab for a while anyway because the risk to popping stitches would be too great.

The central line thing is scary, no doubt, but they seem to have been successful in ridding Finley of the infection and the central line is likely the most efficient and effective way of pumping him full of the antibiotics he needs.

Back away from the ledge folks.
Sorry, this is not accurate. An aggressive infection can destroy tissue, and an abscess [which it sounds like Finley may have had when they did emergency surgery] can cause significant joint damage. It's by no means a given that Finley will be the same after his infection is cured.
 

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