Justin Herbert is reportedly pushing to play through a rib injury on Sunday, and he may wind up having a pain injection in order to do so. The thought of that likely sends a collective chill down the spines of Los Angeles Chargers fans, but it sounds like the team is taking all necessary precautions.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Chargers’ medical staff will use an ultrasound imaging monitor to assist with administering a pain injection for Herbert if the star quarterback chooses to go that route. Herbert would also have to sign a waiver advising him of the risks of the injection.
Mortensen adds that doctors have encouraged Herbert to take a “long view.” Wearing a rib protector would not help with this particular injury, which has been described as fractured rib cartilage.
A lot of what Mortensen reported is standard procedure, but it is noteworthy because of what happened to Tyrod Taylor back in 2020. Taylor planned to play through a rib injury in Week 2 and had a pain injection administered by Chargers team doctor David S. Gazzaniga. Taylor suffered a punctured lung as a result of the injection and could not play after that. Herbert, who was a rookie at the time, started in Taylor’s place and never looked back.
Gazzaniga is still the Chargers’ team doctor. He is currently being sued by Taylor over the 2020 mishap.
Herbert is a game-time decision for Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If he decides to rest rather than play through the injury, he may be looking at a multi-week absence.
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