The top NFL -draft prospectus Abdul Carter was revealed to have a stress reaction in his right foot during testing at the NFL combine harvest in February.

A stress reaction is an early sign of a bone voltage injury and can turn into a stress fracture if not treated properly.

Carter, 21, had a medical control in Indianapolis last week, which showed that the stress reaction is healing and no surgery is needed per day. Espn.

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“It should be a non-factor with the teams at this time,” Carter’s Agent Drew Rosenhaus said via ESPN.

Dr. Erica Urquhart, a board -certified orthopedic surgeon, talked to Pakinomist Digital about stress fractures and what they mean to athletes. Urquhart said there are generally stress fractures caused by overuse.

“The overuse is related to repeated activity or activities that generate significantly, again using the word, stress in a localized area of ​​the body, can then result in a stress fracture,” Urquhart said.

Urquhart said that stress fractures and an “incomplete fracture” of the bone originally treated with rest.

“We will encourage rest, immobilization to allow the body to heal itself,” Urquhart said.

Immobilization could come in the form of a role or stag.

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Notre Dame fights against Irish Quarterback Riley Leonard, #13, runs the ball pressed by Penn State Nittany Lions Defensive End Abdul Carter, #11, in the second half of the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 9, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Preferred Pictures)

“Generally, we immobilize this area and we create a context artificially where this area can rest through casting or through stiffening,” Urquhart said.

Urquhart generally said that the recovery time for rest is a matter of weeks and is generally six to eight weeks. However, if a stress fracture is not fully healed, the athlete could require surgery.

“For a footballer, stress fractures can certainly occur again and depending on how they have been treated. So if we look at a situation where an athlete was diagnosed with a fracture, they were treated with rest and immobilization and then the radiographic science is that the breach has gone back or regressed as we could say that we could potentially start from a base line.”

“But if there are still radiographic signs or even clinical signs of injury, we have not returned to baseline, and if this athlete had to resume the activities that precipitated the damage originally, then of course we can look at it as a resumption, but it is a truly a continuing to have an injury that has not been fully healed.”

The recovery time from the operation is six to eight weeks, but Urquhart said because the foot is a full weight -bearing bone that six to eight weeks is not a final timeline. Surgery also does not exclude an athlete from future damage to the bone.

“Surgical treatment is certainly more definitive treatment, and in a young healthy individual one could expect the recovery to be full, but the demands of athletics certainly make this discussion in athletes a little more complicated,” Urquhart said.

Penn State Nittany Lions Defensive End Abdul Carter, No. 11, celebrates with the Heisman position after defeating Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Revilas-prescribed images)

Carter was the Big Ten’s top defensive player in 2024 with 68 tackles, 23.5 tackles for losses and 12 sacks last season for Penn State. In his career, Carter has 39.5 tackles for losses, 23 sacks and 14 passports defense.

No matter which team chooses the Penn State Star, they hope the stress reaction is fully healed and not something that turns into a recurring question that would force him to miss games coming autumn.

Carter and Heisman Trophy -Winner Travis Hunter are widely considered the top two views of the 2025 NFL draft and could slip in as a starter and have an immediate influence on day one.