Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will undergo surgery for a turf toe injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for a minimum of three months.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team is still gathering more information about Burrow’s injury right now. Burrow is reportedly dealing with torn ligaments making his injury more severe.

Advertisement

Orthopedic foot/ankle specialist and Cincinnati Reds team doctor Adam Miller joined The Enquirer to answer questions about this specific injury.

‘Part of football’: Zac Taylor defends Bengals over Joe Burrow protection, injury history

‘I wasn’t at my best on that play’: Bengals OL Dalton Risner discusses Joe Burrow’s injury

One of the most common questions circulating right now in relation to Burrow is what exactly is turf toe?

“What happens is there’s usually a load or an axial amount of force that pushes the foot into the ground that causes the toe to extend beyond what it’s normally supposed to do,” Miller explained. “That disrupts the ligament or soft tissue that holds the toe together at the bottom of the foot.”

Burrow’s case of turf toe is a worst-case scenario. Reports say Burrow is dealing with a Grade 3 turf toe injury and because of this, his recovery timeline is hard to predict. Surgery is the only option for Burrow at this point to make a full recovery.

Advertisement

“Grade 3 means the ligament has completely torn away from the bone portion of the toe that we’re concerned about,” Miller said. “There’s displacement of some of that bone piece on the bottom and the ligament is not functional. We worry that if we left it that way and didn’t do surgery then it may not heal the way it needs to heal.”

It’s going to be a while before Burrow can walk without assistance. Following surgery, the Bengals’ medical staff will have a clear plan for Burrow’s recovery.

Miller explained the next steps for Burrow following the surgery. It could end up being three months or longer depending on how Burrow’s foot recovers.

“They aren’t going to let him get out of the boot for the first several weeks,” Miller said of the process. “If you look at all of that and how it extrapolates to a time frame to be able to run again, three months bare minimum seems reasonable.”

Advertisement

For more of the conversation with Miller, the podcast is available on all streaming platforms and YouTube.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow turf toe injury: Why surgery is needed