NFL Week 5 Injury Omarion Hampton High Ankle Sprain

When a Star Athlete Gets Hurt: The Omarion Hampton Case

At the conclusion of week 5, the NFL world woke up to news that Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton would be placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. For many fans, the focus was on how this would impact the team’s backfield. But for us in the physical therapy world, it’s a chance to look behind the scenes: how such injuries happen, how they’re diagnosed and treated, and how rehabilitation helps athletes (or “everyday” patients) recover safely.

How the Injury Happened

During a game against the Washington Commanders, Hampton was running a route out of the backfield when a defender clipped his lower leg or foot area—stepping or colliding with the back of his foot. That kind of mechanism is common in ankle sprains, especially in contact sports, where a sudden twist, impact, or inversion (rolling the ankle inward or outward) can strain ligaments or cause bony injury.

Soon after the contact, Hampton left the game; he was later seen in a walking boot, which is often used to immobilize and protect the joint after an injury. The severity was enough to rule him out for at least four games.

Diagnosis: What’s Going On Inside the Ankle

From the public reports, the diagnosis is an ankle injury severe enough to go to injured reserve (IR), meaning a multi-week absence. While teams rarely publish full medical details, many observers suspect a high ankle sprain or ligament injury around the ankle (versus a “simple” lower ankle sprain). The difference is important:

• A low (lateral) ankle sprain involves ligaments on the side of the ankle (e.g. anterior talofibular ligament).
• A high ankle sprain (syndesmotic injury) involves ligaments connecting the tibia and fibula above the ankle joint and tends to heal more slowly and be more unstable.
• In more severe cases, there could also be small bone involvement (avulsion fractures) or cartilage damage, but there’s no public confirmation of that in Hampton’s case.

Because observers expect Hampton to miss significant time (likely more than just the 4 game IR minimum), it suggests the injury is more substantial than a mild sprain. Teams usually obtain imaging (X-rays, sometimes MRI) to rule out fractures, assess ligament tears, and plan rehabilitation.

Treatment & Role of Physical Therapy

Once the acute injury is stabilized, rehabilitation via physical therapy is central to safe and effective return to sport (or to normal life). While we don’t have confirmed details of Hampton’s individual rehab plan, typical steps include:

1. Protection & Early Phase (Weeks 0–2+)
   • Immobilization or offloading: The walking boot Hampton was seen in helps protect the ankle and prevent excessive motion while soft tissues heal.
   • Rest, ice, compression, elevation (RICE): To reduce swelling, pain, and inflammation.
   • Gentle motion: As tolerated, therapists may begin range-of-motion (ROM) exercises (e.g. ankle circles, gentle dorsiflexion/plantarflexion) to prevent stiffness.
2. Recovery Phase (Weeks 2–6)
   • Controlled loading & strengthening: Once pain and swelling reduce, progressive strengthening of muscles around the ankle (e.g. calves, peroneals, tibialis anterior) helps stabilize the joint.
   • Balance and proprioception: Single-leg balance drills, wobble boards, and instability training to retrain the ankle’s sense of position.
   • Mobility & flexibility: Stretching soft tissues, joint mobilizations by the therapist to restore full motion.
3. Advanced / Return-to-Play Phase (Weeks 6+ or later)
   • Sport-specific drills: Cutting, pivoting, acceleration, deceleration. For a running back like Hampton, that includes running cuts, jump landings, agility work.
   • Plyometrics & power training: Jumps, bounding, and explosiveness once the joint is stable.
   • Functional testing: Comparing strength, balance, and agility metrics with the non-injured side to make sure the athlete is ready to return.

Physical therapists play a key role in guiding progression, monitoring pain or swelling, modifying exercises if setbacks occur, and coordinating with the sports medical staff.

Prognosis: What Can We Expect?

Given what’s publicly known, here’s a realistic recovery timeline and outlook—bearing in mind that individual variation is large in real life.

• Hampton is out at least four games (since he’s on IR) but many sources believe he will miss longer than that.
• Some reports suggest he might not be ready by the first eligible return date and could resume later in the season.
• Importantly, the team and medical staff likely won’t rush him back before strength, stability, balance, and functional readiness are confirmed, especially given the risk of re-injury.

For “everyday” patients with similar ligament injuries (but without the demands of professional sport), many can expect:

• Mild sprains: return to full activity in 4–8 weeks with proper therapy
• Moderate to more severe sprains or high ankle injuries: recovery may take 3–4 months or more, especially if healing is slow or complications (instability, chronic pain) develop

Because Hampton is a high-level athlete with excellent resources, therapy, and medical support, his prognosis is relatively favorable if rehab goes well. But setbacks (swelling, pain, incomplete healing) are always possible.

How This Relates to You (the Patient)

Even if you’re not a professional athlete, Hampton’s case highlights key truths that apply to everyday ankle injuries:

1. Mechanism matters – understanding how you twisted or stressed the joint helps guide diagnosis.
2. Diagnosis guides treatment – imaging and assessment rule out fractures or severe tears.
3. Rehab is not optional – doing just rest without guided rehabilitation increases risk of stiffness, weakness, re-injury.
4. Progression must be controlled — going too fast too soon can lead to setbacks.
5. Functional return is the goal, not just absence of pain — whether that means walking, jogging, or sport movements, your therapy should mirror the demands you’ll place on your ankle.

Final Thoughts

Omarion Hampton’s injury is an unfortunate reminder of how fast things can change in sports—but also how structured rehabilitation and expert physical therapy can guide athletes back from severe injuries.

If you or someone you know if recovering from an ankle injury, we’d be glad to talk about how we structure rehabilitation, load progression, and return to sport planning.