Austin Davis out indefinitely with plantar fascia injury
UM reporting...
Wishing him all the best for a speedy and full recovery
December 11th, 2020 at 4:21 PM ^
That's better than the obvious fear with a non-contact basketball foot injury which is the Achilles.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:27 PM ^
I don't know much about recovery times on these two injuries. Would you please expound on this?
It seems like a foot injury on a very large man might require an extensive recovery and rehab period.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
I have plantar fasciitis and it's the swelling and micro tears of the tendon that wraps around the back of your foot to below the heel (feels like a razor is stuck in your heel everytime you step) . Just takes time off it to let swelling go down and lots of stretching to keep everything flexible. Indefinite seems right as there is no real timetable after a flare up. Just gotta rest and ice it
December 11th, 2020 at 4:39 PM ^
I had it this summer and it was brutal. I spent two weeks icing, stretching, rolling my foot on a golf ball, and trying to pick golf ball up with my toes.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:39 PM ^
That's about right. Only issue is to what extent is Davis' injury, mild or moderate or severe. That could make a big difference.
I am sure Davis will get the proper treatment and get back in good time.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:46 PM ^
I had it. Just put inserts in your shoes and it goes away in a couple of days.
December 11th, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
That is treating the symptoms, not the problem. In fact it makes the problem worse as it puts the achilles in a perpetually shortened position, which is a contributor to plantar fasciitis in the first place. This is why women get it so often, because they wear high heels.
December 11th, 2020 at 8:24 PM ^
Everyone's different - but I suffered and struggled for months, tried rest, ice, exercise - to no avail. Excruciating pain.
Got some simple inserts, and the pain completely went away in less than a week. That was 3 years ago, with no return.
I swear by inserts. Not saying it's for everyone, but they sure did the trick for me!
December 11th, 2020 at 5:13 PM ^
The report says he has a "plantar fascia injury", which isn't necessarily plantar fasciitis. Not sure if that's better from a recovery standpoint, but important to note.
December 11th, 2020 at 7:36 PM ^
Good point, which could be worse. Northernwolverine has a good comment on this further down.
December 11th, 2020 at 7:10 PM ^
static stretching has limited benefits. Get a foam roller or theragun or something along those lines to loosen up the achilles.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^
I never had either injury, but I know Rasheed Wallace played through plantar fasciitis during the NBA Finals. An Achilles tendon tear ends your season.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:03 PM ^
Yeah but Rasheed is bordline crazy
December 11th, 2020 at 6:27 PM ^
Yep and they shot it up before the game and at halftime. And could barely walk after meds worn off. These types of injuries can vary there is no specific time frame. Depends how some people can take the pain. But it doesn't say to much other than injury so probably a partial tear
December 11th, 2020 at 5:06 PM ^
The recovery time varies. I've had this injury and the best thing to do is to rest and stretch out your foot. It's super painful to run but as long as Austin can get his foot worked out with stretching and massaging it, it can be manageable. However, it's a 6-18 months injury and my recovery timeline was about 8 months.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:14 PM ^
My foot still tingles so this is good info, thanks
December 11th, 2020 at 5:41 PM ^
So you are saying he is done for the year?
December 11th, 2020 at 5:51 PM ^
Program thinks he'll be back.
December 11th, 2020 at 7:32 PM ^
From what I'm reading no but also probably won't be 100% all year. Hopefully in limited minutes as a backup he can still go hard.
December 12th, 2020 at 1:53 AM ^
You can play through it. It just depends on his pain tolerance with it. The best thing for the injury is to rest and work it out, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's done for the year.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:22 PM ^
Get well big guy! Your presence on the bench is just as important so keep coaching up Hunter and be a leader for the team!
December 11th, 2020 at 4:24 PM ^
Next man up. That man is Hunter Dickinson.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:31 PM ^
Usually "next man up" is putting a smiley face on a tough situation.
Such a luxury to have Dickinson at next man up.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:39 PM ^
I would say it's more Johns Jr, as far as where the minutes will shift. Dickinson is already playing a ton
December 11th, 2020 at 4:25 PM ^
Well, everyone asking for HD to start, you get your wish. Get well soon Austin
December 11th, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
Darn. Here's to a quick recovery.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:37 PM ^
Austin Davis is an incredible story. He must be disappointed beyond belief. He is one heck of a survivor and has to be one of the hardest workers to put on an M uniform. Sure hope this doesn't end his season. If it does, he can point to the Toledo game as his best point game in his five years. Would love to hire this guy if I was hiring people after he graduates!
December 11th, 2020 at 5:30 PM ^
Juwan said AD is like having an on-court coach and his leadership doesn’t show up in the box score.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^
I wish you a speedy recovery, Austin, as I'm sitting at my work desk rolling a can of green beans with my feet to help alleviate plantar fasciitis!
December 11th, 2020 at 4:55 PM ^
Maybe you should try putting some clothes on your feet before shoving them into your boots :).
December 11th, 2020 at 4:41 PM ^
Austin is going to be missed. Heal quickly.
Now, others have a chance to develop and shine. Make the best of a bad situation.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:43 PM ^
Damn.
Get well soon young man.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:45 PM ^
Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery. This kid is the definition of punching above your weight.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:46 PM ^
I'm going to comment here because I have a lot of personal experience with PF. First time I got it was very much like what we saw with Davis -- he pushed off the foot briskly, trying to dash to the play and immediately came up limping. I was playing paddle tennis in inappropriate shoes. The court surface is very tacky, so traction is maximized, which actually adds to the severity of the strain. I felt a pop in the bottom of my foot. You know it when it happens. I was 35 and not in great athletic shape. Took six months to fully heal.
Davis' recovery should be a lot faster for three reasons: 1. he's younger and his soft tissue will heal faster, 2. he'll get massively more therapy and attention than I got, 3. the foot will be in an immobilizing boot whenever it's not being treated or in controlled exercise. I'm going to say he should be getting limited minutes in mid-February.
Most PF happens more gradually -- one morning you wake up and it feels stiff. The next morning it's worse, and so on. This is almost better because the injury was so unambiguous... rest, ice, stretch, repeat.
December 11th, 2020 at 4:53 PM ^
Two words: Steroid injection.
That did the trick for me...
December 11th, 2020 at 8:17 PM ^
Did you know that playing paddle tennis in inappropriate shoes is a felony in some parts of the country?
December 11th, 2020 at 4:53 PM ^
I had a case about seven years ago and went to Mast Shoes in A2 where they measured the different components of my feet. As it turns out, my arches are longer than those of the average bear. They set me up with the right insoles and it got better right quick.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:02 PM ^
December 11th, 2020 at 5:00 PM ^
Ugh I hate plantar fascia injuries. They take forever to heal. He can probably play through it but it'll definitely limit him for the whole season.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:02 PM ^
Speedy recovery to you, big man!
December 11th, 2020 at 5:02 PM ^
Going to throw the rotation into quite a bit of flux. There is no true backup center so now I presume it will be Dickinson to start and Johns as the primary backup unless there is significant foul trouble (then we get into the Ivy League version of Donnal/Doyle territory). That requires Johns be out of the PF rotation entirely so the bench either gets shorter or Williams(?) will see more time as well. Otherwise they would have to figure out a stagger at the 4 to so that Livers/Wagner rotate more while Brown plays as the 3 whenever the other is at the 4. Which also shortens up the SG rotation some.
All of this to say, glad Howard is the coach and can figure this out because I can't.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:07 PM ^
I believe John's will be fine in most cases as the off the bench 5. He will have to adjust his defensive aggressiveness but it's not hard to make a case it will be an upgrade.
When we get to Iowa on the other hand, we will hopefully have AD back by then.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:20 PM ^
O sure, I don't necessarily have great concerns with Johns at the 5 in most cases. He's not huge, but he's a good athlete. The problem is his minutes have to come from somewhere and it's not ideal for him to be the primary back up 5. In a pinch, no problem. The Big Ten doesn't have a ton of bigs to deal with, but if he or Dickinson gets into foul trouble they're in a sticky situation real quick.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:08 PM ^
Get well soon Country!
Edit: my Austin source has now texted me. He does not have plantar fasciitis but rather a partial tear of plantar fascia. This was considered the best case scenario for what it’s worth.
December 11th, 2020 at 11:59 PM ^
Thanks for the information! Glad to hear that a tear should take less time to heal. I would have thought the opposite. (Just hope that means a few weeks.)
December 11th, 2020 at 5:14 PM ^
I said it above but:
The report says a "plantar fascia injury", which isn't necessarily plantar fasciitis. Not sure whether that's better from a recovery standpoint, but it's something to note.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:28 PM ^
Yeah, not great but better than an ACL or MCL tear. It'll shorten the rotation a bit with him not there but this team has some depth and hopefully he can get back onto the court in the new year.
December 11th, 2020 at 5:29 PM ^
Hopefully it's on the minor side. He's got some time to recover as our first big opponent is Wisconsin on 1/12
December 11th, 2020 at 5:47 PM ^
Young man has done everything that's been asked of him, and more. The mutual respect and care for one another w Hunter D has been heart-warming to see. Godspeed Austin
December 11th, 2020 at 6:16 PM ^
Austin is one of my favorites. This kid busted his ass and earned that scholarship so many were mad about 5 years ago. He’ll always be a Michigan Man, unselfish as hell! Hope he makes a complete recovery