by Liz Bonis, WKRC | Click here to see the full story.

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – As the Cincinnati Bengals prepare for Monday Night Football, the focus remains on quarterback Joe Burrow’s recovery from a turf toe injury.

Dr. Nicholas Gates, a foot and ankle surgeon at OrthoCincy, emphasized the importance of Burrow’s healing for his long-term success. “If you can imagine standing there, raising your heel off the floor and your toes still off the ground—and then someone coming down hard on the back of your heel way farther than it’s supposed to go,” Gates explained, highlighting the severity of the injury. He noted that the recovery process, which can take three months or more, is crucial for ensuring stability and preventing long-term aggravation.

“The recovery you hear about is absolutely accurate, this three month or more recovery. The stories we hear about is it going to be a long-term aggravating problem, is absolutely true and can be and the reason you want to fix this is you want it as stable as possible to help him heal, so that in three or four months he’s good , but also early next season and the season after that he’s good.”

Gates, who has extensive experience working with high school football players in Northern Kentucky, stressed that while some athletes might be eager to return to play soon after the initial recovery period, complete healing is essential for a prolonged career. “I’m not surprised what they are doing for his three to four months timeline, and also for his three to four year timeline,” Gates said. He added that the limited range of motion required by the big toe is not typically a significant obstacle in the healing process.