Reports: Ben Roethlisberger out four to six weeks with MCL sprain

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger injured his left knee against the Rams.

SI Wire | Sep 27, 2015

Reports: Ben Roethlisberger out four to six weeks with MCL sprain /

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger injured his left knee against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Roethlisberger was taken to the locker room and ruled out for the game.

An MRI exam Sunday night revealed a sprained MCL and Roethlisberger will miss about four weeks, CBSSports’ Jason La Canfora reports. ESPN’ Adam Schefter reports that Roethlisberger is expected to miss six weeks. Roethlisberger did not injure his ACL, according to both reports. Roethlisberger also has a bone bruise, according to several reports.

Roethlisberger was stepping up in the pocket when a Rams defender dove toward Roethlisberger, hitting the quarterback in his left knee.

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“When it comes to sprains of the medial collateral ligament (MCL), there are very mild sprains that can be well treated and allow an athlete to return to high level sports within 3-4 weeks, and there are more severe types of sprains that can take 6-8 weeks to allow the athlete to return to the highest level,” Dr. Michael Ciccotti, team physician for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chief of Sports Medicine at Rothman Institute told SI.com. “For a professional quarterback, their mobility, their ability to plant, cut and twist is important. These types of forces put a lot of torque on the healing medial collateral ligament and that’s what usually prolongs their recovery.”

“I have not treated Ben and am not privy to his MRI, but given the timeframe of 4-6 that is being reported this would seem to me a mild or moderate sprain of the medial collateral ligament,” Ciccotti continued. “The physician taking care of Ben will start him on upper extremity and core types of exercises, strengthening exercises for his leg, and gentle range of motion exercises to allow the ligament to heal. But it’s those planting, cutting, maneuvering activities that put the most torque of that ligament and that’s what is going to require that more prolonged period of 4-6 weeks. It’s a general timeframe that is very appropriate for a medial collateral injury.”

Michael Vick replaced Roethlisberger for the Steelers and figures to be Pittsburgh’s starter for the next month. Landry Jones, a 2013 fourth-round pick, will be the backup.

Roethlisberger has not missed a game since a rib injury cost him three games in 2012.