- NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he has “COVID toe” as a side effect from COVID-19.
- COVID toe is a condition that can cause toe lesions and pain.
- The condition can affect a person’s ability to walk or even sleep.
Aaron Rodgers said he had a painful toe condition called COVID toe during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback said COVID toe was the only lingering condition he had from his COVID-19 infection earlier this month, which kept him out of his team’s facility for 10 days while he recovered.
Rodgers said he’d been “misleading” about getting vaccinated after he tested positive for COVID-19 on November 3. He might now have to deal with the pain of COVID toe for the rest of the season. There are seven weeks left in the NFL regular season. The playoffs, which the Packers are positioned to compete in, are scheduled to begin on January 15.
COVID toe is a condition that can cause skin lesions on a person’s toe after a COVID-19 infection. Multiple studies suggested that the condition was caused by an overly aggressive immune response against the virus, and that it could last for months after COVID-19 recovery.
COVID toe could affect Rodgers’ mobility and rest for the remainder of the NFL season
The condition is characterized by feet looking a little like they’ve been frostbitten, with purple, swollen toes and red, itchy plaques.
In one study, researchers found that people suffering from COVID toe had trouble sleeping and walking, Dr. Charles Cassius, the lead author on the study and a researcher at Hôpital Saint-Louis, in Paris, previously told Insider.
For Rodgers, the condition may have already resulted in limitations in practices and games.
After Rodgers returned to the Packers on November 13, he appeared on the team’s injury report with a toe injury the day before a game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Then, when the Packers faced the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday, Rodgers had to leave the game in the second quarter to get treatment in the locker room. The Packers lost the game 34-31. In the postgame press conference, Rodgers said the issue was “very, very painful.”
COVID toe can last anywhere from six weeks to several months, WebMD said, which means Rodgers could have to deal with the pain in his toes for the remainder of the NFL season.
On “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers said, “I have an injury that’s not going away.”
