Presumptive 2021 NFL Draft Number One overall pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson University had an earlier than anticipated Pro Day on Friday, February 12th. Originally scheduled to participate in Clemson’s Pro Day in March, he had good reason to move it up, reported by ESPN. He will be undergoing surgery this upcoming Tuesday, in Los Angeles.
The labrum of the shoulder is located around the rim of the glenoid fossa of the scapula. The labrum is a fibrocartilaginous structure that functions to deepen the glenoid fossa, providing increased stability of the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint by increasing the surface area of the glenoid fossa that the head of the humerus can have contact with. Not only does it provide improved stability but it also serves as an attachment site for various muscles and other ligaments of the shoulder.
The glenohumeral joint, a ball and socket synovial joint, allows movement in all three planes of motion. The shoulder can perform movements such as: flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, horizontal adduction/abduction, internal/external rotation, and a movement called circumduction (a combination of flexion, abduction, external rotation OR extension, adduction, internal rotation).
Surgery is required to reattach the labral to the rim of the glenoid fossa when it can be damaged from either an acute injury or a repetitive stress. There are several different types of tears. They can include an anterior or posterior labral tear, a SLAP (superior labrum, anterior to posterior), and a Bankart lesion. The last two are the two most common types of labral tears.
A SLAP Tear, is a tear of the labrum at the attachment site for the Biceps Brachii tendon. There are four different grades of SLAP Tears.
- Type I – partial tear and degeneration of the superior labrum, labrum still attached.
- Type II (a,b,c) – superior labrum has been detached and a tear occurs anterior to posterior.
- Type III – bucket handle tear of the superior labrum.
- Type IV – tear superior labrum that extends into the biceps brachii tendon.
A Bankart lesion, is a tear of the anterior inferior portion of the labrum with an anterior dislocation of the humerus. Following the dislocation, the posterior portion of the humerus becomes depressed (also known as a Hill-Sachs lesion). What can also occur is the inferior rim of the glenoid fossa can also become fractured, if the trauma is impactful enough, which is called a Boney Bankart.
The timeline for “complete recovery” for labral repair can range anywhere from 6-12 months, can certainly be influenced if there are any sort of complications that arise from surgery or during rehabilitation.
Lawrence as already come out and stated he hopes to be throwing in 6-8 weeks and then full clearance in 4-5 months. His timeline would put him anywhere between Late June to early July. That does seem extremely optimistic.
More likely, is he could be cleared in mid August, in which training camp has already opened. Given that he is the most important player to whichever franchise drafts him (…Jacksonville Jaguars..), the entire organization is certainly going to be as cautious as possible to make sure he is not rushed back to the field.
I don’t anticipate any regular season games missed during his rookie campaign but I do predict he’s not going to be a full participant in training camp. He’s only going to be either a virtual participant or a from-the-sidelines participant of the Jaguars first offseason program under new head coach Urban Meyer.