Thomas Partey went down with a right ankle injury in the late stages of the first half during Arsenal’s pre-season friendly with Chelsea after a challenge from Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The Ghanian midfielder attempted to play on after initial assessment but then was subbed off minutes later, meandering with a slight limp towards the sidelines, with all Arsenal fans on edge considering Partey’s injury-riddled season last year and his role as arguably the best man on the pitch in the opening 35 minutes of the match.
The injury possibilities
Based on how Partey got injured – aka the mechanism of injury – there are two main injury possibilities.
#1 – High ankle sprain (syndesmotic tear)
Partey’s ankle rolling outwards (eversion) with possibly some external (outward) rotation is most typical for a high ankle sprain aka syndesmotic tear. The syndesmosis is a group of ligaments that stabilize the lower shin bone (tibia) and outer leg bone (fibula)
These are worrisome injuries that normally take at least 4-6 weeks to return from and potentially more if higher severity grade 2 or grade 3. If unstable, they require surgery and 3+ months out.
#2 – Eversion sprain (deltoid ligament complex tear)
In the case where the ankle doesn’t rotate externally (or with minimal force, it’s hard to discern these variables based off video and still images), the injury could be isolated to the detloid ligament complex that sits on the medial (inside) aspect of the ankle.
In the case of grade 1 mild sprains, the return timeline is roughly around 2 weeks. Grade 2 and grade 3 deltoid tears are rarely isolated so those timelines tend to be convoluted by those concomitant injuries.
Indicators of Severity
Although we can’t obviously be there to assess the injury or see the imaging, there are indicators that potentially give us clues to Partey’s injury severity.
The first is that Thomas was able to play on following the tackle. This almost certainly rules out a fracture to the ankle and potential instability (higher grade ligament tearing).
Secondly, Partey was reportedly photographed at an event following the match and was not wearing a protective CAM boot, had no assistive devices like crutches to modify weight-bearing, and allegedly was walking without a limp. This would be a very positive indicator that the injury isn’t believed to be that serious as the Arsenal medical staff would almost certainly protect the ankle if that was the case – as seen with Lucas Torreira’s ankle injury 2 seasons back and common within the Premier League after high ankle sprains, most recently Manchester United’s Harry Maguire.
Reporter Updates
Updates have come out from multiple reliable Arsenal reporters – Charles Watts, James Benge, and Chris Wheatley to name a few – that Partey’s injury isn’t believed to be as serious as initially feared and the player may only miss a few weeks. This would almost certainly indicate injury possibility #2 – the deltoid ligament sprain – as being the culprit.
However, the player is set to visit with an ankle specialist this week for further consultation. This isn’t entirely unexpected as foot/ankle injuries are quite complex and can evolve quickly.
Concerns moving forward
Other than missing the start of an important Gunners’ season, the major concerns for Partey are two-fold: He’ll have to regain fitness and confidence after another spell out, just as he was beginning to really take the reigns of team, and there’s a possibility of lingering soreness and discomfort that he will have to deal with in the short-term.
Of course, we will know more once the team releases more information and I’ll keep you updated on that.
If you prefer a video version, you can find that Arsenal analysis here:
Fin. COYG.
Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT, (@3cbperformance) is a physiotherapist, movement expert, fitness trainer, sports scientist and mindfulness coach. He runs the LA and online based wellness and athletic performance clinic 3CB Performance, is an avid Gooner since 1995, and you can subscribe to his Youtube channel (which posts a variety of Gunners’ related content).