How long will it take Joe Burrow to recover from his injury?

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is not playing right now — he's on the Injured Reserve list after suffering an injury known as "turf toe."

What is "turf toe"? How long will his recovery take? A University of Cincinnati orthopaedic surgeon recently appeared on Cincinnati Edition on 91.7 WVXU News to talk about the injury.

Tonya Dixon, MD, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the UC College of Medicine and UC Health foot and ankle surgeon, said the name of the injury, "turf toe", does not necessarily reflect its severity. Burrow is believed to have a grade three injury, which means his ligaments have completely ripped off his big toe. It's very painful.

It also requires surgery to repair, so Burrow can regain push-off strength in his big toe. Dixon said a soft tissue injury, such as this one, can be challenging to recover from and can take longer to heal from and get back to a full range of motion.

"I always tell my patients it's much better to break a bone, because, you know, breaking a bone, it's pretty straightforward and a pretty consistent recovery, but when it's soft tissue, it's a little more challenging and can definitely be a lot longer," said Dixon.

She said Burrow most likely will not be able to bear weight on the impacted foot for about two weeks after surgery, then it will be about six weeks of not being able to fully bend his big toe. Physical therapy will help limit swelling and inflammation of the toe, as Burrow works to get back his range of motion.

Dixon said one challenge will be finding a balance between achieving the range of motion needed for Burrow to perform on the field and minimizing what causes discomfort. That's why she said "it's critical to get back to as strong as possible before ramping up his activities, because if you go back too soon and you're not well-conditioned, it may lead to reinjuring that or injuring something else, which is what we definitely do not want."

Dixon did say Burrow's fitness and athleticism will help his recovery move along faster, along with his diet and nutrition as a pro athlete.

"He as an individual is set up for success to come back from this much sooner than I would say the average individual," said Dixon.

Listen to the full Cincinnati Edition interview on 91.7 WVXU News.

Featured image at top: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow drops back to throw a pass against the Carolina Panthers in 2022.  Photo/Michael Miller/University of Cincinnati.