Doctor says Peterson's collarbone is healing just fine

The Vikings running back has essentially healed and will not require surgery, which could have led to a weakened bone.

By Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune

Last update: May 16, 2007 - 11:55 PM

The Twin Cities' most discussed collarbone is healing just fine, thank you, and as a result Adrian Peterson will be ready to begin Vikings training camp on time.

So went the latest -- and, the Vikings hope, the last -- twist Wednesday in the Great Collarbone Caper. The Vikings essentially ruled out surgery, a procedure that would have sidelined Peterson for up to six months, after a series of tests showed the injury is healing acceptably on its own.

Dr. Joel Boyd, the team's new orthopedic physician, said the injury is "well on its way" and said Peterson is no more susceptible to broken collarbones than other players.

"At this point," Boyd said, "we are not overly concerned that it's not going to heal in a normal way. ... I'm not anticipating that he's going to require surgery for it. At this point in time, it looks like it will progress to heal on its own completely."

Peterson joined the team's strength and conditioning program Wednesday and has no limitations, trainer Eric Sugarman said. Peterson will participate in all Offseason Training Activities (OTAs), which begin May 22, but will wear a small protective pad when contact drills begin.

Peterson was thrilled to have the issue put to rest after enduring months of public speculation about an injury he has consistently downplayed.

"It really hasn't given me any problems," he said. "I was pretty confident in it. I had a good feeling. I haven't had any pain, so it seemed like everything was normal."

Peterson originally suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left collarbone Oct. 14 while playing for Oklahoma. He returned Jan. 1 for the Sooners' appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, and according to Sugarman, re-fractured the bone early in the game.

Peterson consulted with Oklahoma medical officials but did not disclose the injury when he reported for the February scouting combine. Doctors who examined him there, including Boyd, grew concerned because they believed they were observing slow recovery from the October injury, rather than normal healing of the January setback.

The Vikings and other teams learned of the second injury during a March 30 "re-check" examination in Indianapolis. "In reality," Boyd said, "it was a newer fracture and subsequently it was going to heal normally."

Rick Spielman, vice president of player personnel, said the revelation solidified his decision to draft Peterson and made the injury "a non-issue" in the long term.

A scan performed this week, Boyd said, revealed a bone that in essence is healed. Surgery, he added, would have carried additional and unnecessary risks. The procedure requires surgeons to re-break the bone, giving Peterson three fractures in less than a year, and could lead to a weakened bone that would require the insertion of a permanent metal plate.

In fact, Boyd said football players who undergo the procedure have a higher risk of re-injury than those who heal naturally. Boyd attributed Peterson's second injury to a quick return to the field -- rather than an inherent proclivity for broken collarbones.

"The two injuries just happened to [occur] back-to-back," Boyd said. "The [new bone] probably at the time just wasn't strong enough to get back to full contact at that time. Looking at what he has now, he has a lot more [new bone] and a lot more progression of his fracture than what we saw even at the combine.

"The further away you get from the initial incident, the stronger the bone is. And so the further along he goes, the less likely it is to re-fracture."

Etc.

• Sugarman said defensive end Erasmus James has made "great progress" in rehabilitating the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. "He's showing every indication that he'll be out there for training camp when we go to Mankato," Sugarman said. "That's our goal." James and safety Mike Doss [knee] are expected to be the only players limited during OTAs.

• The Vikings signed two rookie free agents: Northwestern State defensive back Chad Johnson and Texas Southern guard Andy Olemgbe.