Relieved of cumbersome steel rod, Gophers' Christenson, leg feeling fine
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jon Christenson diagnosed his own injury before the athletic trainers could even get to him on the field.
The Gophers' offensive lineman lifted up his leg after it was hit in Minnesota's game against Indiana back on Nov. 2, 2013 -- a date Christenson has etched into his memory. He knew right away that both the tibia and fibula in his left leg were broken.
Not many college football players would be so quick to provide a self diagnosis, but not many college football players are biochemistry majors like Christenson, who happened to be taking an anatomy class when his injury occurred.
"I did know exactly what happened," Christenson said. "We actually had a center the previous year, Zach Mottla, who did the exact same thing and it actually ended his career. Laying on the field, I picked up my leg. My whole ankle complex just hung down. I knew there was no structure in the tibia and fibula anymore."
Having seen Mottla, his fellow offensive lineman, go through a similar gruesome injury the year before, Christenson worried about the long-term effects his injury might have. He wondered if he would walk normally again the rest of his life. He wondered if he would play football again.
Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, and a long steel rod inserted into his left leg, Christenson not only resumed walking but returned to the football field the following season. After flying back from Bloomington, Ind., Christenson had surgery the next day. The rod was inserted into his bone and was attached by several screws.
There was pain -- plenty of it -- but Christenson pushed through it. He wound up playing in 12 of Minnesota's games this past season and made his first start of the year in the Gophers' appearance in the Citrus Bowl against Missouri when he lined up at right guard.
"It definitely got better as the season went on. That's why I was able to start in the Missouri game," Christenson said. "But it was something that was just nagging where the break was. It was always sore. It was causing some soft tissue aggravation in the top of my knee. Just being able to get that rod out has been amazing. I feel great now. I just can't wait to get back into things."
Christenson had the rod removed in February, but he hasn't yet participated in the Gophers' spring practices. He's erring on the side of caution this spring as he continues to recover from having the rod taken out. His bone is strong again and bone marrow has filled in the area where the metal rod once was.
A look at the steel rod Minnesota lineman Jon Christenson played with in his left leg last season. The rod was surgically removed back in February.
As Christenson approaches his redshirt senior season, it eats at him that he has to watch from the sideline in an orange no-contact jersey as his teammates go through the grind of spring practices. He still goes to team meetings but does rehab and strengthening drills while the rest of the Gophers are doing their position drills.
Once fall comes, though, Christenson will be ready to fight for a starting job on the offensive line.
"I felt pretty comfortable in the Missouri game despite the pain that I had in that leg because of the rod," he said. "With the rod out, it'll be amazing."
Christenson says he can tell a noticeable difference in the weight of his leg. After all, the rod weighed about a pound and ran from just below his knee to just above his ankle. He even asked to keep the rod after his surgery for a souvenir of sorts and shows it off occasionally as a reminder of what he's overcome.
With a degree already in hand, Christenson is now pursuing a master's degree in public health administration. He said orthopedic surgery is something that interests him as a possible career -- and he's found out plenty about it first-hand since breaking his leg.
Throughout his first three seasons, Christenson has played in 31 games and has made 16 starts, including nine at center during the 2013 season before his painful leg injury. If all goes well this fall, there's a good chance Christenson will be one of the five starting linemen in 2015, whether that's at center or guard.
Most importantly, Christenson's leg will be rod-free.
"He's one of the smartest kids I've ever coached," said Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover. "The biggest thing is I want him feeling healthy and feeling good. He never felt good a single day in the fall and still came every day and gave everything he had. He's one of the toughest guys I know, from what he tried to do and what he did every day with that rod in his leg. He's got to feel like a million bucks, the fact that he doesn't have it in there."
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