Local experts weigh in on recovery timeline after Chiefs receiver injured
Jul. 28—After Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney tore his meniscus during warmups at training camp, local physical therapy experts are discussing the road to his recovery.
Toney, who was a key piece in the Chiefs Super Bowl win against the Philadelphia Eagles, underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the damage to his knee.
Local recovery experts say that with Toney's situation, the rehab will be critical for not only his return but his prolonged durability during the season.
Fred Shonkwiler of Spine and Sport Physical Therapy in St. Joseph said the first order of business is to control the swelling after surgery.
"No. 1 goal, control swelling," Shonkwiler said. "Once you get the swelling under control, it's all about activating the muscles again, cause swelling turns muscle activation off."
Kevin Luke of SERC Physical Therapy agreed with Shonkwiler.
He said in the case of Toney's recovery, rehabbing the knee is just one part of the process. Strengthening the hip and the ankle into the mix is critical.
"The main thing is don't focus just on knee exercises. The knee kind of just bends and extends it does a little bit of rotation, but not very much," Luke said. "Most of the control laterally has to come from the hip, ankle, so if your hip and ankles aren't strong, then the knee will suffer from that."
Damage to the meniscus can be described as a shock absorber. It helps protect the bone structure within the knee. If the area compresses too much, it can tear. With athletes such as Toney, the area can get damaged when the athlete twists and cuts their movement.
For Toney, this isn't the first time he has been injured.
Shonkwiler said one of the more troubling injuries for Toney was the lingering hamstring injury he dealt with last season. Dealing with the hamstrings will be key in his return.
"As a training staff, my first primary goal would be make sure I'm rehabbing those hamstrings so that his hamstrings are working with the quads to support that knee injury," Shonkwiler said. "From a rehab standpoint, Kadarius is going to be working on those hamstrings and he's a speedster. For speedsters, that cycle that the leg has to go through, demands a lot of the hamstrings. That's that's probably his key to him coming back successfully."
Head coach Andy Reid is hopeful that Toney will return by by the opening game against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, however, Shonkwiler said the recovery timeline may change depending on the rehab.
"You can hear about 4 to 6 weeks in return, you'll hear that six-week mark a lot. For an athlete who's running and cutting and jumping as fast as he is, I'd be surprised if he got back by week one," Shonkwiler said.
Luke said a positive look for not only the Chiefs, but for fans, is that Toney's prolonged athletic training will speed the process of him getting back onto the field versus a non-athlete.
"He's probably in the peak of the prime of his athletic performance at this point. He's been training, too, so all his strength is probably there," Luke said. "It will take him a little less time than for others that go through something like this."
While the recovery timeline may fluctuate, Luke and Shonkwiler agree the Chiefs training staff is equipped to deal with injuries like this.
"They'll be a little more cautious with it being a (full) season as compared to if you're in the playoffs or in the Super Bowl," Luke said. "You can always take your time ... build back up to it and probably not send him back out there until he feels 100% comfortable."
"They diagnosed it. They didn't waste any time," Shonkwiler said. "You're talking about a training staff that got Mahomes to the playoffs on the Super Bowl last year. He's in good hands, they'll do the right thing."
Riley Funk can be reached at riley.funk@newspressnow.com.
