Brock Purdy will have to sit out two to five weeks of upcoming games that the 49ers are set to play, due to getting injured. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old quarterback got turf toe which painfully affects the big toe joint and is caused by hyperextension. It occurred during the second quarter of the team's game versus the Seattle Seahawks. Although he got injured he continued to play. Ian Rapoport, who is an NFL insider shared an update on Brock's injury on Good Morning Football and stated: "[49ers Coach] Kyle Shanahan telling reporters yesterday that Brock Purdy is a long shot to play this week. It could be a multiple week injury."
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He continued: "My understanding is that Brock Purdy is out two to five weeks. Two to five weeks for Brock Purdy with what is essentially a variation of turf toe. It is a ligament injury that affects the bottom of his foot. Call it turf toe if you want. That's basically what Kyle Shanahan has said."
Brock got turf toe during one of his games© Getty Images
Brock got turf toe during one of his games
Although it is unknown when Brock will be game ready, Ian shared his thoughts: "But, two to five weeks for Brock Purdy, which would put him out [of] at least the Saints game this week, the Cardinals game next week and then we'll see. It's swollen. It's irritated. No one knows how it's going to react. Certainly it seems like the 49ers are looking at probably two starts for Mac Jones, their backup quarterback, and maybe more."
The reason that turf is referred to when it comes to the injury is because athletes who play on turf surfaces are at a greater risk of getting turf toe simply due to the type of artificial ground that they play on. Besides American football players, soccer players also face the same concerning terrain.
He will have to sit out two to five weeks of games© Getty Images
He will have to sit out two to five weeks of games
Essentially what happens when the big toe is sprained is that a person's heel is lifted off the ground, while their toe remains planted, therefore a hyperextension occurs, which causes ligaments to tear. Football players are negatively affected by the terrain because they are constantly sprinting or making sudden jarring movements when the defense team comes over.
Turf toe is cause by an overextension of the big toe which can lead to a tear© Getty Images
Turf toe is caused by an overextension of the big toe which can lead to a tear
This common type of injury greatly increased in the 70s, when turf started getting used instead of grass. The fact that football pros also wear lighter sneakers now may also affect the probability of the injury as well. There are three levels to turf toe injuries per Cleveland Clinic. Grade one includes when there's been an overextension, but there is no tear. Grade two is when the soft tissue in your big toe is minimally torn up. Grade three involves the big toe's soft tissues being completely torn up.
Turf toe is cause by turf terrain© Getty Images
Turf toe is caused by turf terrain
Symptoms include swelling, bruising, limited movement, and joints that feel as though they are loose. The injury can be healed through rest, using an ice pack, elevating your foot, pain medication, physical therapy, taping the big toe with your smaller toes, using orthotic inserts, and in rare cases, undergoing surgery. One way to prevent the injury is to wear sneakers that aren't as flexible, especially when it comes to the toe area, so that you have a stronger foundation to land on. It's also important to stretch before any game.