Derek Dorsett Injury Update
By Vanessa Jang
7 years agoOn December 5th, the Canucks announced that Derek Dorsett would be having surgery to repair a disc degeneration in his neck. This unique injury required that he travel to Marina Del Rey, CA for the procedure. He then tweeted a photo announcing the successful surgery and giving a peace of mind for Canucks fans.
For the first time since, he spoke to the media today to provide an update and explanation of his injury, as well as a possible timeline.
Willie Desjardins previously stated that Dorsett had been dealing with this injury for many seasons previous. Dorsett gave us a run-down of the events leading up to the final straw:
“It’s an injury that really came to light when I had that hit in LA. My arm went numb. I’ve had stingers in the past but they’d last five minutes, minutes minutes and it was two or three in the past couple seasons. The one in LA, the numbness in my arm stuck around for a while.”
“I don’t know why it was that hit. I see him coming and I brace myself and cold-shouldered him. Something popped, I was feeling a little soreness in my collar bone. The year before the last lockout when Andrew Alberts hit me and I broke my clavicle, I thought – when the hit happened – it felt similar to that hit and I thought it was that.
“I had some stenosis in my neck when I had other imaging done, but everyone has some sort of wear and tear. The last imaging, it was a lot worse and prior. It’s something that I had it, but I had the stingers once or twice a year.”
After extensive digging through the archives, I found the hit that apparently started the chain reaction of magnified symptoms. He subsequently fought McNabb in retaliation.
“Then I missed a few games, came back, played Ottawa and got in that fight in the first period. Went numb, had some stiffness and whatnot. It stuck around a while longer, played through it, happened one more time on that road trip. We did some treatment and then here against Phoenix, it was just an innocent play. I was coming into the offensive zone and got tapped at the hips. The guy was just pushing off, nobody really saw it. My arm went numb again and had a burning sensation and stuck around for a while.”
Though not providing any specific date for return, Dorsett did explain how the next few months will unfold with regards to his rehabilitation and abilities. Understandably so, this is not your typical hand or foot injury with a 4-week timeline. Due to its serious nature, it would be best to preach patience and prioritize full healing over rushing back into the line-up.
“It’s going to take some time. Right now, I’m limited to basically just walking and having my neck brace off when I’m in controlled situations in the locker-room or my house. I have to wear the neck brace for three more weeks, I have a six-week check-up and then I’ll be cleared to do some physio and light working out. Sometime between that six weeks and two months, I’ll be able to ramp-up my working out and possibly start skating in the 2-month range. I’ll have a check-up with the doctor again at three months, then go from there.”
“As hockey players, we put on the big shield. I’ve had a stinger or two before and it kinda just goes away and you don’t think anything of it. The numbness and tingling and not being able to feel my arm at times, it gets scary, especially having two young children. My wife sits them on my lap and stuff, I don’t lift them up. I don’t want to slip anything or lift anything too heavy right now. At that 6-week time, I’m sure I’ll be able to lift them and carry them around. Obviously it’s tough. Talking to the doctors, we could’ve done some rehab and managed it a little bit, but it would happen four times a month and then it starts getting to the point if you damage a nerve.”
“Dr. Watkins ensured me that I’ll recover and get to 100%. He’s done the surgery on a number of athletes that play contact sports and have come back and had successful careers. My No. 1 goal is to be healthy for next season. I’m no going to rush this injury, it’s something I don’t want to fool around with. I want it to heal properly and I don’t want any setbacks.”
It’s a very scary situation for Dorsett and his family. Because the numbness and stinging occurred more frequently than usual, it’s clear that surgery was the best option for the present and future. To say that he will be back in the line-up in two or three months might be excessively optimistic. Dorsett said it himself that the focus will be on next season, therefore expect him to be on IR until then. The ongoing message from management has been patience with the team, and the same should be said for the return of Derek Dorsett.
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