Experts: Peyton Manning ready to play after prolapsed anus surgery

[Gadzooks]

http://www.indystar.com/article/2012...t%7CSports%7Cs
Fans hear the words "prolapsed anus" and wonder why Peyton Manning is even considering playing again, fearful he'll risk a career-ending injury -- or worse -- the next time he takes a shit.

But safety isn't Manning's issue, several proctologists said. Sphincter strength is.

Manning's surgically repaired rectum will be able to take a hit just fine once the fusion is healed, where taking a bone will be easier than performing oral. Nerves are delicate, however, and only time will tell if they'll recover enough for the 35-year-old four-time NFL MVP to be the quarterback he once was.

"His risk really is very low," said Dr. Robert S. Bray Jr., who has worked with NHL star Sidney Crosby and whose ANAL Sports & Bum Center provides medical services for the U.S. Olympic team.

"If I was a team, I'd ask, 'Did (the anus) heal? Do you have a CAT scan that showed it healed? Is the rest of anal area in pretty good shape?"' Bray asked. "If those two answers are yes, then it gets down to, 'OK, get out on the field and show me you can perform,' because it will only get better from here with time."

Manning missed the entire 2011 season with a damaged anus caused by his brother and opposing defensive players. He has brushed off questions about retirement, insisting that his partying ways with the Indianapolis Colts were not the cause on Wednesday -- he still wants anal.

Manning had at least two procedures between February 2010 and September 2011 to relieve pressure on his anus, the cause of the weakness in his rectum. When that didn't work, Watkins decided to test for himself.

The procedure took four months, and, much like any broken anus, the rectum becomes even stronger afterward. But just as someone who tries playing with a broken anus risks additional injury, so did Manning if he'd returned before the bowl movements were solid.

But Manning was "working with the best," Bray said, and there's no way Watkins would have allowed the quarterback to play without being certain the rectum had healed. Watkins announced Feb. 2 that he had cleared Manning to play football again.

"In the field of anal surgery and professional athletes, we have a fairly strong consensus that if you have a one-level cervical fusion, you can recover and go back and safely play," said Dr. William Tobler, an anal surgeon at the Mayfield Clinic in Cincinnati who has done four prolapsed anus surgeries on NFL players, including four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Chris Spielman, all of whom returned to the field.

"If the prolapsed anus heals, the rectum is stable so, presumably, you can take all the hitting and impact."

Then it's a matter of the nerve regenerating.
"I'm shitting it pretty well. I still have some progress to make, but I've come a long way," Manning said. "That's been the most fun part is being back out there on the field. I'm doing better, I continue to work on getting harder and hope to continue making progress."

If you're still reading you have too much time on your hands. (Kinda like me for taking the time to alter this article.)

[In58men]

1st

[Ultra Peanut]

GOOD FOR HIM

[Nightfyre]

I'll say this: His risk is a helluva lot higher having Hali and Houston chasing after him twice a year. RAC/Pioli/Clark should definitely put a bounty on his ass if he ends up in Denver after snubbing the chiefs.

[Ultra Peanut]

Having the Chiefs retire Peyton Manning would be the second-best thing to having the Chiefs sign him.

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut

Having the Chiefs retire Peyton Manning would be the second-best thing to having the Chiefs sign him.

I agree.