Brett Favre Indecisive for Ankle Surgery

The Surgical Plan for Brett Favre’s Ankle

 Brett Favre may be the most indecisive man of our era.  Every year we sit and wait to see whether or not he will retire.  This year, we have even more to look forward to.  Is he going to have surgery for his ankle?  Brett Favre released a statement that he is considering having a minor surgery to repair his ankle injury. I wonder how long it will take him to make this decision.  No statement has been released of the actual diagnosis or the procedure needed but Favre did mention possible removal of bone spurs at the ankle joint. 

Bone spurs at the ankle joint are often caused by osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease.  Osteoarthritis of the ankle is common after several ankle sprains or many ankle sprains over many  years.  Over time, the wear and tear of the joint will lead to damage of the cartilage and bone.  As the bone breaks down, new bone is formed.  The new bone, or osteophyte, can cause irritation of the surrounding tissues and lead to pain and inflammation. 

For Brett Favre, his normal daily activities don’t cause severe ankle pain but complex workouts and games do cause pain and irritation.  He has made statements discussing his ankle pain as non-debilitating.  I assume that his ankle problems are due to bone spurs and scar tissue that has build up in the ankle joint from repeated ankle sprains or other injuries.  This is often referred to as ankle impingement syndrome.

Surgery for this condition is very minor and can be performed with only small incisions.  An arthroscope is used to view and inspect the joint.  A shaver can then be used with the scope to remove any access tissue and debris in the area of the joint.  The bone spurs can also be removed without large skin incisions.  These types of procedures are termed minimally invasive and have faster recovery time.  If Brett Favre is suffering from impingement syndrome, he can have the procedure done and be back to normal activity within 4-8 weeks. 

Considering the surgery is minor and the recovery time is short, it surprises me that there is even a debate on whether or not he will have surgery.  If he has surgery, will he be a Viking for one more year?  If he does not have the surgery, will he actually retire?  I have a feeling we won’t know until the first game of the season.  Brett Favre’s career has been full of drama, and we will add this to his epic tale.  Football legend debates minor surgery for non-debilitating ankle injury.  Neither are career ending but retirement has not been taken off the table!