Running back recovers from broken collarbone

Keith Thomas/Editor in Chief LOWE TOLERANCE: Purdue running back Montrell Lowe performs exercises as part of rehabilitation for his shoulder. Lowe had surgery on his shoulder in early May.

By Keith Thomas
Editor in Chief

During the final seven games last season, running back Montrell Lowe played with a sore right shoulder.

Visibly favoring his aching shoulder, Lowe was asked how he felt at each post-game interview he attended, and he usually replied with, "it's fine; just a little sore."

As far as Lowe was concerned, it was just one of those nagging, non-serious injuries that football players obtain during the physically challenging Big Ten Conference season.

What Lowe didn't know, however, was that he was playing with a broken collarbone in his right shoulder. The injury, which consisted of a hairline fracture coupled with a right shoulder sprain, occurred during Purdue's 22-20 loss at Penn State on Sept. 30 — the Boilermakers' fifth game of the season.

"I really had no idea that it was broken," Lowe said. "I just thought it was sore."

Keith Thomas/Editor in Chief BATTLE WOUNDS: Lowe shows his pinky sized scar on his right shoulder where surgery to repair his cracked collarbone was performed.

Lowe had no reason obvious to believe his shoulder pain was anything serious. Before the season last year, Lowe took a hit from Boilermaker linebacker Alex Tone during a scrimmage in Purdue's fall football camp. Lowe said he landed funny — attempting to catch himself with his right arm to break his fall — and he subsequently suffered what he thought was a minor sprain.

"I just kind of shook it off and kept going," said Lowe. "(The trainers) said it would be sore for a little while, but that it would eventually go away."

The pain ceased slightly as the season progressed and Lowe's shoulder, despite him not letting up much at practice, was fine again.

He said he felt OK through the first 4 1/2 games of the season. That's when he took the hit against Penn State. Because of his experience earlier in the year, Lowe thought his shoulder was suffering from the same minor sprain and accompanying discomfort.

"I thought, 'I'm just going to be sore again and I'll just have to ice it and get a little treatment,'" he said.

According to Purdue athletic trainer Denny Miller, Lowe's injured shoulder was a little worse than just a sprain.

"It was a microscopic little crack and those things, like stress fractures, don't show up on routine X-ray," said Miller. "And it was out right at the end in the joint, so it was treated like a joint sprain based on the examination and the X-rays."

After a couple weeks of repeated hits and subsequent soreness, Lowe said he accepted the fact that his shoulder was just going to be sore until the end of the season.

"Then, it sounds funny, but I just got used to the pain," said Lowe, who rushed for a team high 998 yards last season.

Did he get used to the pain? Well, if his season statistics are any indication, he did. Lowe, who finished the Penn State game with 77 yards on 26 carries, didn't rush for over 100 yards in a game until Purdue's 32-31 win over Michigan — the week after he cracked his clavicle — finishing the game with 126 yards on 22 carries and outrushing Wolverine star back Anthony Thomas. The following week, Lowe outdueled Wildcat scat back Damien Anderson by rushing for 174 yards — Andersen's then-average — on 26 carries in Purdue's 41-28 win over Northwestern.

Lowe would rush for 733 yards post Penn State, scoring five touchdowns. Before the break, and including the game against the Nittany Lions, Lowe rushed for 265 yards with one touchdown.

During the regular season finale, a 41-13 Rose Bowl-clinching romp of Indiana, Lowe ran for a season- and career-high 208 yards on 38 carries with four touchdowns.

"I didn’t want it to be a distraction and, at the same time, I didn't know how bad it was," said Lowe.

And it got bad, according to the LaPorte, Tex., native.

"Once I would lie down in my bed after the game was over, I was just like, 'God, how am I going make it through this week's practice,'" he said.

Lowe, who has had to prove naysayers wrong his entire football life, said he wasn't about to accept that he couldn't play.

"I felt like by me sitting down, I was giving in," said Lowe. "I was giving into the, 'oh, well he's only 5'8" and he's not a Big Ten running back.' I didn't believe that and didn't want to give up."

Not wanting to experience that kind of season-long suffering again, Lowe opted to have his shoulder operated on in early May.

"He didn't have to have that surgery," said Miller. "Really it was more his choice for the surgery than our choice to recommend it. The surgery was really to just kind of clean off the end of the bone."

Post surgery has been going well according to Lowe, who had surgery the same day Purdue corner Ashante Woodyard underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL, which he suffered two days after the spring football game.

Now Lowe, according to Miller, has entered phase two of his rehabilitation regiment.

"As of (Monday), we just got the release to start to gradually bring him back (into strength workouts,) and now you just don't jump in and start where you left off," said Miller.

Those in the know, like Miller, think Lowe should be back at, or near, full-strength by Purdue's fall football camp in August.

"We anticipate he won't have any problems at all," said Miller.

But if he does experience some pain and discomfort, don't expect Lowe to let you know.

Running back recovers from broken collarbone

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