The shoulder injury requiring Green Bay Packers rookie Rashan Gary to wear a protective harness during minicamp should have limited impact on his first NFL season even if surgery is required next offseason, according to an orthopedic surgeon familiar with Gary’s likely injury.

Dr. Dustin Schuett recently spoke to Packers Wire to help explain the mechanics of a labral injury and why Gary’s position should reduce the impact of the injury during his rookie season.

“When a shoulder dislocates and sometimes when a shoulder subluxates (partially comes out without completely dislocating), the anterior inferior labrum tears,” Dr. Schuett said. “Think of a labrum as the rim around the top of golf tee. A torn labrum is like a golf tee with part of the rim broken off. Much like a broken golf tee would struggle to hold a golf ball, a shoulder with a labral tear can be unstable and prone to dislocations/subluxations.”

However, Gary will operate in Mike Pettine’s defense as an outside linebacker and occasionally as an interior rusher, minimizing compromising situations for the shoulder joint.

“The position where shoulders are most unstable is when reaching overhead especially in a maximally externally rotated position like the beginning of a throwing motion,” Dr. Schuett explained. “Cornerbacks have to use their arms overhead dozens of times a game whereas defensive linemen typically function with their arms at or below shoulder level in a much more stable position.”

Dr. Schuett believes the injury will have “minimal impact” on Gary’s season, even if he has to wear the harness all year in 2019. He pointed to the recent on-field success of Demarcus Lawrence, who played last season with a similar shoulder harness but still managed 10.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance before having the corrective surgery this offseason.

Dr. Schuett also isn’t concerned about Gary generating power. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 26 times at the combine, but the act of bench-pressing – or pushing an offensive lineman – doesn’t test or strain the anterior labrum.

Gary initially injured his right shoulder during his final season at Michigan. He missed three games but returned later in the season wearing the same kind of harness he was seen using during rookie minicamp in Green Bay this weekend.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the continued use of the harness was a “precautionary” measure encouraged by the team’s medical staff.

“Shoulder harnesses like the kind Gary has been wearing help prevent the shoulder from getting into unstable positions which helps prevent further dislocations and subluxations,” Dr. Schutt said.

Gary recently said that he wouldn’t require immediate surgery on the injury, but corrective measures are a possibility after the 2019 season. Not having the surgery this offseason has allowed Gary to participate fully in the pre-draft process and all offseason events with the Packers ahead of his rookie season.

“My bet is Gary knew that he may need surgery on his shoulder long before the combine/draft season and elected to push it back in order to participate in the combine and be cleared to start the 2019 season,” Dr. Schuett opined. “The alternative would have been to have surgery after Michigan’s season ended which would have forced him to miss the combine and likely would have negatively impacted his draft stock.”

Surgery on the injury typically takes 4-6 months to heal, making it possible Gary will have the operation following the 2019 season and still have plenty of time for a full recovery before the start of the 2020 season.

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