Maurkice Pouncey is likely more familiar with leg operations than he ever wanted to be. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ center has undergone an arduous road back since suffering a broken fibula in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
After the broken fibula, Pouncey suffered from a staph infection when the wound from the initial injury didn’t heal properly. All of the injuries and complications combined officially brought his season to an end in October.
“The staph infection hadn’t yet reached the bone; after corrective surgeries, Pouncey slept with a PICC line for medicine two different times. At some point, Pouncey also had an E. coli infection that wasn’t as serious but required attention, he said,” per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “Pouncey said he underwent multiple surgeries along with a few “clean-outs,” plus the graft, equaling seven procedures total.”
Given that the original injury took place less than a year ago, seven operations (no matter how minor) between then and now seems brutal. The fact that Pouncey is now back and ready to play again certainly speaks to how dedicated he is.
Pouncey was no stranger to injuries prior to this past season. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right leg during the team’s season opener back in 2013, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year.