UW orthopedic surgeon: ‘Pretty confident’ Russell Wilson will be ‘back to his old self’ after injury

Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Russell Wilson is returning to the field this Sunday for the first time since suffering a serious finger injury in early October. But how ready will he be? According to one expert, he likely won’t experience any serious limitations.

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson cleared to return from injury vs Packers

Wilson’s injury was what’s known as a “mallet finger,” where the tendon connecting the muscles in the end of a finger either stretch or tear, forcing it to bend inwards toward the palm. He went under the knife to get it surgically repaired, and has since been cleared to play after roughly a month of recovery.

That makes for a quick timeline by any standard.

“Four weeks is an extremely fast recovery,” UW Medicine orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jerry Huang said in a recent explainer posted to YouTube. “It’s typically an eight-week recovery process for full healing.”

That said, Dr. Huang also notes that Wilson’s ability to play without limitations will largely be up to pain management and his range of motion in the affected finger. If those boxes are checked, all systems will likely be a go.

“Assuming he has his range of motion back (and) assuming he’s pain-free, I think we can be pretty confident that Russell’s going to be back to his old self,” he noted.

You can watch Dr. Huang’s full explanation at this link, or view it below.

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