Bills’ Eric Wood Suffers Leg Injury Too Bad to Replay

Buffalo Bills rookie defensive lineman, Eric Wood, sustained a severe leg fracture in today’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The injury occurred in the beginning of the 4th quarter, when Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a short pass to Josh Reed, and Wood was injured on the play. Wood’s leg was bent forward at an “unnatural angle”, breaking both his tibia and fibula. The injury was felt to be so “gruesome” that CBS declined showing it in instant replay. Wood is undergoing surgery to repair the fracture and will most likely be out for the rest of the season.

For those wanting to see the video click here: (Warning, it is graphic!) Wood’s jersey number is 70.

Just a bit of lower leg anatomy: The lower leg is comprised of two long bones.The tibia is the larger of the two, and is located toward the middle of the lower leg. The fibula is the smaller bone and it is located on the outside of the lower leg. There are three main muscles in the lower leg. The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles make up the calf, and the anterior tibial muscle runs along the outside of the leg in the front. There are also smaller muscles that help move the big toe and the foot in directions other than up and down.

Symptoms of a leg fracture include pain, swelling, decreased mobility, and sometimes, and obvious deformity of the legs as was probably the case here. If the bones remain in good alignment, the injury can be treated with casting to protect the leg while it heals. If the alignment is not good, surgery will be required to fix the fractured parts in place to allow for optimal healing. Failure to do so can lead to leg length discrepancies.

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