Surgery can actually decrease Jones' down time.
From this article about 'tightrope surgery': [
www.footankledc.com]
Note that in this article 'syndesmosis' means high ankle sprain. Also note that the original article had no bolded sections: I bolded a couple passages for emphasis. And finally, 'Tua' is Tua Tagovailoa.
Oftentimes, surgery is recommended for athletes in an effort to shorten the rehab and return to play timeline. Previously, this surgery involved using 2 metal screws to stabilize the fibula to the tibia. These screws are rigid and would have to be removed at a later date, thus requiring a second surgery. The tightrope allows the syndesmosis to be stabilized in a FLEXIBLE manner, keeping the natural motion between the tibia and fibula. Since the fixation is flexible, there is no need for a second surgery.
Rehab may begin much faster and return to play may happen as soon as 4-6 weeks. This timeline was made famous by former Alabama QB Tua, who played in the national championship game just 28 days after surgery on his syndesmosis.
AlbaNY_Ram
