Saints quarterback plans for shorter recovery with Naples medical device

Sidelined by a thumb injury, an NFL quarterback for the New Orleans Saints is hoping a medical device developed right here in Southwest Florida can get him back on the field soon.

Earlier in September, Drew Brees had an injury to his thumb against the Los Angeles Rams that put him out of the game.

“There’s only so much you can do here,” Brees said, “other than have a doctor look at it on the sideline.”

Now, Brees, 40 years old, is in recovery mode. He posted a picture on Instagram after his surgery:

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A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees)

Brees has a local company to thank.

R.J. Choinski, a group product manager on the distal extremities team at Arthrex, said they are excited to see Brees do well. His team developed an internal brace for hand injuries.

“The suture is a high-strength braided material that’s flat much like a seat belt,” Choinski said.

Just like a seat belt holds you in place in the car, the material protects the connection between the bones, so it can heal properly. Choinski told WINK News that in Brees’ case, the surgeon repaired the ligament. However, the InternalBrace™ is helping to protect and reinforce that.

Brees is among the more than 200,000 patients treated with the medical technology since 2015. “We’re excited just to get the average patient back to work and play faster,” Choinski said.

“It’s very difficult not to be playing,” Brees said. “I’m not used to that. I don’t want to get used to that.”

Arthrex said their product leads to a shorter rehab. Brees hopes to be back in play in five to six weeks with the device, rather than eight to 12 weeks Arthrex says recovery usually takes without it.

The InternalBrace™ has also helped Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angles and Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But, the global medical device company said the product is available to everyone.