{"id":6725,"date":"2023-01-12T02:45:14","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T02:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/how-nfl-players-take-care-of-their-hands-and-feet-during-brutal-season\/"},"modified":"2023-01-12T02:45:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T02:45:14","slug":"how-nfl-players-take-care-of-their-hands-and-feet-during-brutal-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/how-nfl-players-take-care-of-their-hands-and-feet-during-brutal-season\/","title":{"rendered":"How NFL Players Take Care of Their Hands and Feet During Brutal Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tBy Ken Belson and Joe Drape <\/strong>Jan. 12, 2023<\/em> \n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n\tOver the course of the long and brutal N.F.L. season, players\u2019 feet and hands take a beating on nearly every snap. Fingers are jammed, toes are stepped on, ankles are twisted, nails are broken. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tWe spoke with six N.F.L. players throughout the 2022 season about the injuries they play through and how they cared for their hands and feet, essential leverage points needed for every run, block, catch and kick. Their behind-the-scenes routines were meant to help them make it through the season \u2014 but didn\u2019t completely ward off injuries. \n<\/p>\n

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Will Dissly<\/strong>
Tight End, Seattle Seahawks
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5 Seasons N.F.L. Experience<\/h3>\n


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\n\tSept. 10 (Week 1)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tPlaying tight end means catching passes from the quarterback. But it also means blocking far larger defensive linemen and getting caught in the middle of piles of players, which can lead to jammed fingers, twisted ankles and other small but painful injuries. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s normal stuff,\u201d Dissly said about getting stepped on. \u201cIt usually hurts pretty good for 30, 60 seconds, depending on the players who stepped on you. It feels like when you stub your toe. It happens zero to three times a game. I never would come out during a game.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tNov. 21 (Week 11)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tIn mid-November, Dissly dislocated the middle finger on his right hand. He did not recall precisely when and how it happened, but he did know that he popped the joint back into place while in the hot tub after a game. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI remember, damn, it hurt,\u201d Dissly said. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tPressed for details, Dissly said that he likely injured the finger while blocking on a running play. He reckons that he was trying to get a defender\u2019s hands off him, and his middle finger went sideways when it hit the other player. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI\u2019m in a hybrid position,\u201d Dissly said, referring to his role as a blocker and a receiver. \u201cYou can\u2019t really avoid it. You can\u2019t play in Bubble Wrap.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tA knuckle on the finger ballooned, and he used ice for a few days to reduce the swelling. Within about two weeks, he recovered the full range of motion, though the knuckle was still large. He taped the finger to stabilize it. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Top left: Dissly\u2019s feet in Week 2 in September. Top right: Dissly\u2019s hands in Week 8 in late October. Bottom: Dissly injured his right knee during a Christmas Eve game, effectively ending his season.<\/span>
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\n Chona Kasinger for The New York Times<\/span>
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\n\t\u201cThis is the time of year when your hands start hurting,\u201d Dissly said. \u201cYou just know how your body responds.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJan. 6 (Week 18)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n

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\n Dissly finished the regular season with career highs in yards (349) and receptions (34).<\/span>
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\n Mark J. Terrill\/Associated Press<\/span>
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\n\tEntering the Seahawks\u2019 game with Kansas City on Christmas Eve, Dissly had set personal records for catches (33), yards (330) and first downs (19). The Seahawks were in the N.F.C. playoff hunt, too. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tHe added to those totals during the game, but he was banged in the knee and later placed on the injured reserve list. The injury did not necessitate surgery, but effectively ended Dissly\u2019s season. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI wish I could finish the season now because I was feeling really, really good but football happens and you\u2019ve got to respond to what happens,\u201d he said two weeks later. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cPersonally, there\u2019s always stuff that I wish I could have back,\u201d Dissly said. \u201cYou know, football isn\u2019t perfect.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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Troy Dye<\/strong>
Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings
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3 Seasons N.F.L. Experience<\/h3>\n


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\n\tOct. 5 (Week 5)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tDye is a throwback to the era of Willie Lanier and Dick Butkus, when linebackers were the tough men of the locker room. No pedicures for him \u2014 he cuts his own toenails. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cNo one is touching my feet,\u201d Dye said. \u201cThey got different nicks and bumps. I broke my metatarsal like when I was 8 years old, and then I tore a ligament in my ankle as a rookie.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tEven as he plies his trade in the N.F.C. North, Dye, a Southern California native, refuses to wear gloves, a choice he briefly reconsidered last season after the Vikings lost a January game to the Packers in 11-degree temperatures in Green Bay, Wis. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cIt wasn\u2019t fun,\u201d Dye said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a good decision.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tNov. 17 (Week 11)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJust a few days earlier, the Vikings had stunned the Buffalo Bills, 33-30, in an instant classic that ended in overtime to extend Minnesota\u2019s record to 8-1. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cWhen you are winning, you\u2019re feeling no pain,\u201d said Dye, who took most of his snaps with the special teams unit that day in Orchard Park, N.Y. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Top left: Dye\u2019s hand in Week 8. Top right: One of Dye\u2019s feet in Week 3. Bottom: Dye, a Southern California native, refuses to wear gloves, a choice he briefly reconsidered last season after the Vikings lost a January game to the Packers in 11-degree temperatures in Green Bay, Wis.<\/span>
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\n\tHe had gone through more than 30 bandages a week to stave off infections from the numerous nicks and cuts on his hands. Dye said he knows the differences between being hurt and injured. He broke a thumb while at the University of Oregon that required four pins, a cast and a club for him to keep playing. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Dye decided not to tape a broken index finger against Detroit on Dec. 11 and felt it throb a few days later.<\/span>
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\n Bailey Hillesheim\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/span>
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\n\tBy this point in the season, Dye was spending more time in the sauna \u2014 three or four days every week. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tDec. 14 (Week 15)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tThe bandages remained on Dye. The gloves will not come on despite approaching games in Chicago and Green Bay. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI\u2019m going to make it another season,\u201d Dye said. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tDye had a broken index finger, however, for most of the season. Sometimes he taped it. He did not the previous Sunday against the Lions and he felt it throbbing now. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cSometime, I just forget about it because I\u2019m so focused,\u201d Dye said. \n<\/p>\n

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Ben Jones<\/strong>
Center, Tennessee Titans
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11 Seasons N.F.L. Experience<\/h3>\n


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\n\tOct. 4 (Week 5)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones, 33, prides himself on his durability on the offensive line, where he is involved in collisions, scrums and shoving matches throughout every game. In his first 10 seasons in the league, with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, he missed just one game to injury because of a concussion sustained in 2019. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s never an off day,\u201d he said after the Titans split the first four games of the season. \u201cAt this point in my career, I don\u2019t know what finger hasn\u2019t been dislocated or broken. I wear a glove cast on my left hand because I\u2019ve damaged the ligaments in my thumb three times. On my right hand, it\u2019s been beaten up and it\u2019s been fixed up.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones burnished his reputation as a no-holds-barred battler when he faced the division-rival Colts in Week 7. In the fourth quarter, he helped the Titans secure a 19-10 win by <\/a>pushing a pile of players<\/a> that included running back Derrick Henry, who was able to get a key first down. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones attributes some of his success to an unusual habit of walking barefoot on the field before games, something he began doing in high school to honor his older brother, Clay, who helped raise him after their father, Steve, died. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Jones has an unusual habit of walking barefoot on the field before games. \u201cIt started as a ritual, but now I can see if the field\u2019s wet out there or slippery, and the guys will ask me when I get back to the locker room,\u201d he said.<\/span>
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\n\tOver the years, the walk has morphed into a reconnaissance mission. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cIt started as a ritual, but now I can see if the field\u2019s wet out there or slippery, and the guys will ask me when I get back to the locker room,\u201d Jones said. \u201cSome games, the guys need to switch cleats.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tBecause Jones plays in the middle, his size 15 feet are often stepped on or his ankles can roll. Before every practice and game, he runs a lacrosse ball along the bottom of his foot to loosen the muscles. Then a trainer \u201cspats\u201d his feet by taping the outside of his shoes to provide stability and the assurance that his laces won\u2019t come untied. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI wear the biggest cleats with the most protection because if my feet aren\u2019t good, I\u2019m no good,\u201d he said. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Top left: Jones\u2019s hand during Week 2. Top right: Jones\u2019s hand during Week 2. Bottom: Because Jones plays in the middle, his size 15 feet are often stepped on or his ankles can roll. \u201cI wear the biggest cleats with the most protection because if my feet aren\u2019t good, I\u2019m no good,\u201d he said.<\/span>
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\n\tNov. 13 (Week 10)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones\u2019s feet were the least of his worries in a victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 10, when he sustained a concussion that forced him to miss the next two games. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI\u2019m just happy to be back,\u201d Jones told reporters after his return. \u201cGoing through this definitely taught me some patience here. You want to be out there with your friends. They\u2019re family to me. It hurt not being out there with them.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tBy the time Jones returned in Week 13, the Titans were in the throes of what ended as an agonizing seven-game losing streak. Then he had a second concussion in a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, effectively ending his season. \n<\/p>\n

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Zay Jones<\/strong>
Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
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\n\tSept. 28 (Week 4)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tZay Jones was feeling very good about the young season, his first with the Jaguars after stints with the Bills and Raiders. In Week 3, he caught 10 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in a blowout win over the Chargers. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tBut in practice a few days later, he was running drills and landed awkwardly, spraining an ankle and stretching the tendons in his right foot. It was bad news for a player whose job is to race downfield and cut on a dime. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones\u2019s ankle was so swollen that he couldn\u2019t see the tendons on his foot, but he hadn\u2019t broken any bones. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI tried to walk on it as normal as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t immediately put it in a boot or restrict it in any way, because I\u2019m trying to get my mind to train my body that, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s going to be OK.\u2019\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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\n Top left: Jones\u2019s right hand in Week 4. Top right: Jones\u2019s left hand in Week 15. Bottom: Jones\u2019s feet in Week 9. \u201cMy ankle is feeling much better, so that\u2019s the good news,\u201d Jones said after the Jaguars beat their A.F.C. South rivals, the Tennessee Titans in mid-December. \u201cThe bad news is I kind of got the other one banged up a little bit.\u201d<\/span>
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\n\tJones increased the range of motion in his foot to the point where the pain was tolerable. He did balance and weight-bearing exercises like squats and continued his normal routine of loosening the muscles on the soles of his feet with a ball. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cMy mind-set was, what can I do to be ready to play?,\u201d he said. \u201cIf all I have is 80 percent, I want to make sure I can play at a high level of 80 percent.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tOct. 30 (Week 8)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones returned to the field in Week 5 in a 13-6 loss to the woeful Houston Texans. Steadily, week after week, he became one of quarterback Trevor Lawrence\u2019s favorite targets even as the team continued to lose one-score games in frustrating fashion. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cWe did unfortunately lose some games that I know we want back, but we can\u2019t get those back,\u201d Jones said after the Jaguars\u2019 21-17 loss to the Broncos, when Lawrence threw an interception on the team\u2019s final drive. The Jaguars left that game, held at Wembley Stadium in London, with a 2-6 record. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tDec. 15 (Week 15)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones had career highs of 11 catches and 145 yards in an upset of the Baltimore Ravens in late November. His emergence helped the Jaguars nudge their way into the playoff conversation. \n<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cMy ankle is feeling much better, so that\u2019s the good news,\u201d Jones said after the Jaguars beat their A.F.C. South rivals, the Tennessee Titans, in mid-December. \u201cThe bad news is I kind of got the other one banged up a little bit.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tJones said he was hurt when he stumbled into a few other players on a screen play. The injury wasn\u2019t severe, and he did not miss any games. The next week Jones caught six passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars shocked the Dallas Cowboys, 40-34. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tIn all, Jacksonville won seven of their final nine games to capture the A.F.C. South title for the first time in five seasons. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s been a crazy ride for us, but it\u2019s made such a great story,\u201d Jones said. \u201cTo make it this far and be healthy is a blessing.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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Braden Mann<\/strong>
Punter, Jets
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\n\tOct. 11 (Week 6)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tBraden Mann punts, shares kickoff duties and is the holder on field goal attempts for the Jets. His hands and feet work in concert, but he is not fussy about their maintenance. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tMann avoids leather cleats, choosing to wear cheap synthetic ones: He wants his foot to be as hard as possible when it strikes the ball. To that end, he wears a size 9 on his kicking foot even though he typically wears a size 10\u00bd. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cGame day is the hardest on my feet,\u201d Mann said. \u201cThey get abused because I pull the laces super tight. I don\u2019t want any air to get between the ball and my foot. No extra room. It won\u2019t hit my foot hard enough. After the game, you can see the indents on my feet from the laces.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tMann avoids pedicures. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI like the calluses that I have \u2014 inside the heel of my left foot where I push off,\u201d he said. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tMann kicks about 200 balls a week. He says he is an incessant toe and knuckle popper. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tNov. 17 (Week 11)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tCold, windy weather is not a punter\u2019s friend. While the Jets were off to a 6-3 start, Mann was spending extra time working on his hand-eye-foot coordination. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Top left: Mann\u2019s feet in Week 9. Top right: Mann\u2019s hand in Week 18. Bottom: The Jets\u2019 late-season struggles on offense had Mann working hard: He punted 83 times during the season, tied for fourth-most in the N.F.L.<\/span>
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\n\t\u201cWhen your hands are cold, they are not working as well,\u201d Mann said. \u201cAnd when it\u2019s windy, you hold the ball a little longer before you drop it. I\u2019ve had a few kicks that I have wanted back, so I\u2019m spending more time on mechanics.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tDec. 15 (Week 15)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe Jets\u2019 late-season struggles on offense had Mann working hard: He was tied for fourth-busiest punter in the N.F.L., finishing with 83 punts. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tOn Nov. 20, with five seconds remaining and the Jets tied with New England, 3-3, the Patriots\u2019 Marcus Jones returned Mann\u2019s punt 84 yards, blowing by him for the game-winning touchdown. Afterward, the punter lamented leaving the ball low and short. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cIt was on me,\u201d Mann said. \u201cI didn\u2019t give the cover team a chance.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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Tre\u2019 McKitty<\/strong>
Tight End, Los Angeles Chargers
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\n\tSept. 30 (Week 4)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tMcKitty has problem digits. He suffers from turf toe on both of his big ones, and he has broken or dislocated both thumbs and every finger on either hand. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cIt comes with the business,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a tight end, my hands are extremely important to me but at the same time at risk. I do a lot of blocking, and they get caught in pads and bang into helmets. I broke one thumb that way and the other on a catch.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tIn the off-season, McKitty does strength and grip work, but he believes holistic maintenance is the key to enduring the rigors of the season. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Top left: McKitty\u2019s feet in Week 3. Top right: McKitty\u2019s hands in Week 11. Bottom: \u201cAs a tight end, my hands are extremely important to me but at the same time at risk. I do a lot of blocking and they get caught in pads and bang into helmets,\u201d McKitty said.<\/span>
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\n Mike Nowak for The New York Times<\/span>
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\n\tDuring the season, he gets a manicure and pedicure at least once a month and, after each practice and game, warms his hands in paraffin wax for 10 to 15 minutes to ease any pain or stiffness. He also gets a massage every Monday. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cThe therapist spends a lot of time on my hands and feet,\u201d he said. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tNov. 17 (Week 11)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tIn Week 4, in early October, McKitty said he \u201cdinged\u201d his right wrist in a win over the Browns. But it had no impact on what he called his worst game of his career against the 49ers on Nov. 13. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tMcKitty is primarily a blocker who is rarely targeted by quarterback Justin Herbert. That changed when tight end Gerald Everett injured his groin in the second quarter. Herbert found McKitty with what would have been a 35-yard touchdown pass \u2014 if he hadn\u2019t dropped it. He caught just three of his six targets, and the Chargers lost, 22-16. \n<\/p>\n

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\n Ashley Landis\/Associated Press<\/span>
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\n\t\u201cI felt awful,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I have good teammates, and they lifted me up.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\tDec. 14 (Week 15)<\/strong> \n<\/p>\n


\n\tThe Chargers were 7-6 and just outside the playoff picture after Week 14. McKitty had developed blood blisters on his fingers. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI forgot to cut my fingernails, and they got bent back,\u201d McKitty said. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tTo battle late-season fatigue, on his off days McKitty joined Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray at a nearby swimming pool where they did underwater exercises. \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cJust as important are the breathing exercises we do,\u201d McKitty said. \u201cThe point is to build stamina for a quick recovery.\u201d \n<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI want to be ready for a playoff run,\u201d he added. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tThe Chargers won their next three games, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2018. \n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n