Carson Palmer may not be ready to return to play, but the nerve injury he suffered in Week 1 has significantly improved. Palmer worked with a muscle therapist in Denver over the weekend who told ESPN that the nerve has "woken up." Whether the nerve can handle a heavy workload is another question.
Carson Palmer’s injured nerve has ‘woken up,’ according to therapist
Carson Palmer’s injured nerve is healing, but how quickly is unclear.
Doug Pensinger
Palmer's status for Sunday's game against Washington is still unclear. The Cardinals are hoping that the quarterback can return to practice Thursday and Friday, depending on how he threw Wednesday. Palmer reportedly threw between 40 and 50 passes Tuesday without suffering a setback.
Greg Roskopf, the man who worked with Palmer over the weekend, explained that he used a palpitation technique to stimulate his shoulder, “enabling him to reconnect the communication between the muscles and the nervous system.” Apparently, keeping the nerve awake is delicate work, making the next few days critical for Palmer and the Cardinals. Via ESPN:
“It’s a very delicate line,” Roskopf said. “If he exceeds his tolerance level at the time, then it almost puts it back to sleep. It shuts it down again.”
The challenge for the Cardinals, it seems, will be giving Palmer enough reps to get game-ready without over-exerting him.
The Cardinals lost Drew Stanton to a concussion during last week's game against the Denver Broncos and brought in Logan Thomas, who struggled. Stanton helped guide the Cardinals to a 3-0 start in Palmer's stead, but last Sunday's 21-point loss highlighted the gulf between a talented Cardinals team and a squad with championship expectations. Palmer's return could usher Arizona back into the group of clear-cut contenders, if he is able to come back 100 percent.
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