Crabtree Michael, Injury Analysis

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 Landing with the external aspect of the foot


Crabtree’s Achilles tendon rupture might be the culmination of a history of damaging events. Those events can be explained, in part, by the analysis of his past injuries and the related mechanical action that probably caused them.
In 2008, during college, he already suffered several right ankle sprains and a left foot strain. In 2009 doctors discovered a left foot fracture while attending the NFL combined draft. Crabtree thought that his foot was sore because the long season! (He was probably already suffering discomfort for a while). In March of that year, he had surgery for what the people close to him reported as a “slight stress fracture”. This “slight” injury required the insertion of a screw in his fifth metatarsal bone!
After surgery, did his coaches and doctors review the causes? Probably not since in 2011 another injury in the same foot happened again!

The 2009 stress fracture (that happened near his left pinkie toe) is consistent with some characteristics of Crabtree’s running mechanics. Since he is a “football runner” and a basketball player, running and jumping actions are the first to be considered for evaluation. Reviewing the recently published pictures and videos (below) we can see that he is landing (while running) with exactly the same area were he had the injury. We do not know what technical changes were made after his injuries if any, however he still is severely loading an area not prepared for that level of stress.
 
Foot on angle in relation to the direction of running. External aspect of the foot loaded.

Incomplete extension of the left leg during push off. Ankle tense with restricted mobility.

 Foot on angle in relation to the direction of running. External aspect of the foot loaded.

 Rotation of the left foot and knee externally while the hip is oriented forward.


  
Landing with the external aspect of the foot.


If we consider that: 1) his running mechanic has the same characteristics probably since he started playing; 2) that he has the interference of a screw; 3) that most likely the ankle is taped during practices and games and 4) that he might be using some other devices to “protect” him; then it will be natural to think (watch the pictures and videos again!!!) that his running mechanics is still today not safe.
The Achilles tendon injury was reported happening “in motion while planted”. Wrong lines of pulling (see the angle of the foot when landing and during pushing-off) make the muscles and the tendons (as well as the bones) to be inconveniently loaded. All damages done to his feet and ankles are most probably caused in part by repetition of an improper motion (overload injury).
The question now is how his team will treat the problem to recover the ankle and decrease the risk future injuries.
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Comments

  1. Coach BeitoMay 28, 2013 at 10:48 PM

    Wow! I cringe looking at how he lands on the outside of his left foot in the video. Does he happen to be flat footed as well?
    It really amazes me how some athletes can compensate for so long, but as you have clearly pointed out, it eventually does catch up with them. Thank you for sharing and well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 2, 2013 at 4:05 AM

    To me, the motion and stress he puts on his left (or right) Achilles tendon doesn't look any different than how other premier wideout's run routes and come down after going up for a ball.

    ReplyDelete

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