Lions center Frank Ragnow admits there have been some dark times in his recovery from a toe injury that required surgery in 2021 and has pained him ever since, but the team's new medical staff has helped him "see the light."
Working closely with Lions director of player health and performance Brett Fischer and head athletic trainer Mike Sundeen, both hired this offseason, Ragnow has developed a maintenance plan for his damaged left big toe that has increased his stability and, barring any setbacks, will allow him to be at his best this season.
"I can’t say enough about Fisch, Mike," Ragnow said Monday. "I was in a dark place, I’m not gonna lie, with this toe, and they’ve been able to make me see the light. And it’s been hands down a lot better, so very grateful for them."
Ragnow, 27, remains the lynchpin of one of the NFL's best offensive lines. He made his second Pro Bowl last season while basically playing on "one leg," in the words of offensive line coach Hank Fraley. Fraley, a former center himself, said this spring that the pain Ragnow was playing through on Sundays was so severe that "most guys, I think, would truly fold."
"And he just fought through it," Fraley said. "He might not ever be the same, but he can still be very productive with what he does. I would still say he’s one of the top guys in the league, even with being hampered a little bit. This year, he looks great. When he does get an opportunity to go, it doesn’t hinder him and he’s doing well."
Part of the plan this season is for Ragnow to take maintenance days each week, like the one he took last Tuesday ahead of the Lions' season-opening win over the Chiefs. As much he hates to miss practice with his teammates -- "It sucks," he said -- Ragnow said Fischer and Sundeen, along with Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes, have helped him understand "that for the long run and for Sundays, it’s going to help me a lot."
Ragnow suffered what he called the "most severe degree of turf toe" when he tore the plantar plate in his left foot in Week 4 of 2021 and was forced to undergo season-ending surgery. On the opening drive of the 2022 season, Ragnow tore it again. He told reporters this summer that the toe has "no healthy tissue left" and is beyond the point of being surgically-repaired.
"It would have to be an experimental procedure to get that done and that’s not something that NFL O-linemen are in the business of," Ragnow said.
Instead, Fischer and Sundeen have developed a plan aimed at re-stabilizing Ragnow's toe to get him firmly back on his feet. The pain isn't gone, and likely never will be, but it's not as debilitating as it was last season. If Ragnow feels badly for anyone, it's Fischer.
"He tells me he thinks more about my toe than he does his wife sometimes, which is tough," Ragnow said with a laugh. "I feel bad about that. But he really puts forth his best effort every single day trying to think about how to put me in the best positions."
At this point for Ragnow, the injury is what it is: "It’s definitely going to be chronic and something that I have to deal with." But he said he's also had "breakthroughs" thanks to the exercises he's doing with Fischer, Sundeen and the rest of the Lions medical team. The focus, said Ragnow, who's also dealt with groin and ankle injuries in the NFL, is on strength and endurance and "making sure (the toe) is in the best position." As Fischer tells him, "It's like the foundation of a house: You gotta make sure it’s all in order."
"Everything starts from the ground up," said Ragnow. "When something’s off on the ground, it works its way up. So just being proactive in everything we do with the foot, the ankle, the hip, everything all the way up to make sure it's not inhibiting me in any area."
All to say, Ragnow should be fine. While his toe might never be the same, he doesn't need a new one.
"So the people tweeting at me, 'I’ll donate you your toe,' I’m OK," Ragnow said with a smile. "If you guys can put that out there, I don’t need anyone’s toe."
Ragnow just needs good health this season. Detroit's starting offensive line took the field together last week for the time since it was assembled in 2021 and helped the Lions take down the defending champs. Ragnow was right in the center of it, holding things together in a raucous environment, playing on two legs for the first time in two years.
"Felt good, just for me individually," said Ragnow. "It’s cool to be able to play with four freak-shows like that. It makes my job a lot easier. Especially in the interior having Jonah (Jackson) and Big V (Halapoulivaati Vaitai) by my side, two animals, it definitely helps.
"Just to be able to finally play together after we’ve been taking about it for it seems like years, it was really cool."