From his hospital bed Tuesday morning, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks said he’s looking forward to returning to game action “soon.”
The veteran linebacker is recovering from what has been classified as a compartment syndrome injury to his right shin. The painful injury knocked him out of Sunday’s game against the Saints and rapid swelling after the game prompted the Vikings training staff to get Hicks to a local hospital as soon as possible, where he underwent a surgery to relieve swelling in the muscle.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me the past few days and for all of your continued prayers. The surgery was a huge success and I’m grateful for all of the doctors, nurses and medical staff who treated me. Looking forward to getting back out there with the guys soon!” Hicks said.
Hicks suffered the injury in the first half. A replay from the All-22 video shows Hicks get whipped around while tackling Saints running back Alvin Kamara, with his right shin appearing to slam into the leg or knee of Vikings safety Cam Bynum.
“It was from the trauma, kind of a contusion-type thing,” Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. “He tried to work through it a little bit and just kind of, some of the fluid that built up in there became something that we wanted to be very aware of.”
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, an acute compartment syndrome injury is a medical emergency that if not treated quickly can lead to permanent muscle damage.
With Hicks out for at least this week’s Sunday night in Denver, the Vikings signed former star linebacker Anthony Barr. Rookie Ivan Pace Jr. is expected to wear the green dot helmet in place of Hicks against the Broncos.
Meanwhile, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins had the cast on his right leg removed Tuesday morning, just 13 days after undergoing surgery to repair the ruptured Achilles that he suffered in Minnesota’s win over the Packers on Oct. 29.
Cousins will miss the rest of the season but is expected to make a full recovery.
