Well-known prominent orthopedic surgeon and former NFL doctor David Chao has provided some further details on Matthew Stafford’s injury.
Over the weekend, the Rams placed Stafford on the injured reserve because of a spinal cord contusion. The 34-year-old is eligible to return to the team in Week 17. But per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, head coach Sean McVay admitted it’s likely that Stafford won’t return in 2022.
Chao, also known as “Pro Football Doc”, worked as an NFL doctor for 17 years. He frequently provides detailed insight on NFL player injuries.
On his Sports Injury Central YouTube channel, Chao posted a video where he provided further details on Stafford’s injury (transcriptions via Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire). Chao warned that Stafford may even have to consider calling it quits after this season, though it’s ultimately up to the veteran quarterback.
“It was the neck issue that caused numbness into both of his legs. This is very concerning anytime numbness goes to legs from a neck injury and also both sides. That’s why it implied some sort of spinal cord issue.
Obviously, you cannot mess around with the spinal cord,” he continued. “Any small risk of permanent damage needs to be avoided. This is why he’s being shut down for the season. What the medical staff has to do is find out why it happened. Was there instability at one segment? Was there a disc? Was there a canal narrowing? What is it and how do you correct it and prevent it? Which might mean surgery.”
It seems Matthew Stafford and his family will have a choice this offseason,” Chao said. “Either do something to correct the risk of further spinal cord contusion and potential permanent damage, usually with a neck surgery, fusion surgery, decompression surgery of some kind, which you can return to play. Or you can decide to hang it up after 14 seasons and a Super Bowl ring. This will be a real question for Matthew Stafford as to what he wants to do.
You can watch the full video of Chao’s explanation below.
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Stafford had a magical first season with the Rams, completing 67.2 percent of his pass attempts for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns. The Rams won the NFC West with a 12-5 record, and they went on to win Super Bowl 56 inside their home venue of SoFi Stadium.
But the defending champions haven’t been able to catch a break all year. The offensive line has been a mess, and coach McVay’s usually potent offense has been out of sort all season long.
Injuries to Cooper Kupp (on the injured reserve after undergoing ankle surgery) and Allen Robinson (out for the year with a foot injury) have complicated matters. Los Angeles is sitting at 3-9 heading into Week 14, ahead of only the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears.
As part of the package to acquire Stafford from the Detroit Lions. the Rams gave up their 2023 first-round pick. The Rams can’t have any regrets after winning a Super Bowl, but surely, the Lions did not expect this pick to potentially fall in the top five.
