Did Antonio Brown jeopardize his professional career — and his health — by his use — and abuse — of cryotherapy? One medical professional thinks that he might have

Antonio Brown feet after frostbite

Photo courtesy of Deadspin

... could be much ado about nothing, or a career problem

The photos on social media were disgusting. The bottoms of his feet were yellow with the skin caking and breaking off, leaving some pink skin. 

That is the damage that Antonio Brown wrought when he entered a cryotherapy chamber in France in July. He apparently did not wear the proper covering for his feet, although he said later that he was wearing socks. 

The result was severe frostbite, something that has kept him from practicing football with the Oakland Raiders, his new team, through the preseason. 

One Pittsburgh area certified chiropractic sports medicine specialist believes that this could hamper him through his entire career. Dr. Matt Burnett said that it depends on the severity of the damage, but that it could be something that stays with him throughout not just his career, but through his life,

The depth and the extent of the damage will determine his recovery time. If it’s a superficial frostbite, you’re talking one to three weeks and he’s back up and running. But if it’s a severe frostbite, and it’s killed a portion of the nerve, he could potentially have neuropathy in his feet where he doesn’t feel his feet as a result of this.

If you’re an NFL receiver, and these guys are all looking for that 1% advantage, not being able to know where your feet are at all times is definitely going to work against you.

Paul Guggenheimer, “Cryotherapy experts baffled by 

Antonio Brown’s frostbitten feet,” Tribune-Review, Aug. 9, 2019

Mayo Clinic: Frostbite can cause neuropathy

Brown apparently received frostbite by not covering his feet properly. Most people know frostbite as something that occurs in the dead of winter when temperatures plummet and wind chill causes exposed areas to become raw. 

However, it can occur even on skin that is covered, and with whole body cryotherapy, hands and feet are supposed to be covered. The Mayo Clinic describes frostbite this way,

Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. First your skin becomes very cold and red, then numb, hard and pale. Frostbite is most common on the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin. Exposed skin in cold, windy weather is most vulnerable to frostbite. But frostbite can occur on skin covered by gloves or other clothing.

Mayo Clinic website, 2019

Brown entered a chamber where the temperatures are -150 to 200 degrees. He was obviously not prepared properly. He should have known that this was causing damage to his feet,

[Dr. Matt] Burnett says that anyone who undergoes cryotherapy has to be careful and that in all likelihood, Brown was not.

“He would have had to have known that something was going on because your feet start to burn and then they tingle and they turn bright red,” Burnett said of Brown. “He went far past burning, tingling and numbness to have these kinds of results. But it just goes to show that the provider who stuck him in there didn’t know what they were doing.”

Guggenheimer, Tribune-Review, Aug. 9, 2019

Neuropathy

When nerve damage occurs in the body, some loss of feeling will occur. This is often called neuropathy,

Peripheral neuropathy, a result of damage to the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves), often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in your hands and feet. It can also affect other areas of your body.

Mayo Clinic website, 2019

That is what Dr. Burnett was referring to, damage to the nerves caused by the frostbite. This can be painful and can perhaps inhibit him from being as productive and as fast as he was. 

Conclusion

No one knows how much damage Brown has inflicted upon himself, but this venture could end up being very costly. So far, Brown — between the feet and the helmet — has not practiced once. He might think that he does not need the preseason, but he has a new QB and a new team, new OC, new head coach. 

He might have another 1,000-yard season. Then again, he might be hurting all year. We shall see.