The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) reports Atlanta Falcons rookie guard Chris Lindstrom underwent surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot earlier this week.

AJC spoke to Mark C. Drakos, MD, foot and ankle surgeon at HSS, who did not treat Lindstrom, but commented on the recovery for this type of injury. “More likely than not in football players, it is the Jones fracture,” said Dr. Drakos. “Which usually means surgery and usually takes to 10 to 12 weeks before they are playing football again,” he added.

The fifth metatarsal bone is the outside bone that extends to the little toe. “The problem is the bone is important when you twist your foot,” explained Dr. Drakos. “It’s important for stability. If you are a linemen and you are planting or cutting, you can have pain. It’s not one that you can really play with well. It would cause problems,” he cited.

“Some people heal faster than others,” said Dr. Drakos. “Some people actually can even re-break it after its fixed. It’s a small bone, but it tolerates loads from 300-pound linemen. Usually, once you fix it, it has a 90-plus percent chance of healing and never causing any permanent problems, but there is small chance that you can re-break it. Most people get back the same season. It’s not a season-ender or a career-ender,” he concluded.

Read the full article at AJC.com.