Dr. Spencer Miller, a neurologist at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, weighed in Wednesday night on the likely road ahead for Cowboys center Travis Frederick in his treatment of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Frederick released a statement Wednesday that said he was diagnosed with GBS and it's unclear when he might be able to return to the field.

Miller often treats patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome. Frederick isn't one of Miller's patients, however.

Q: How long does it take someone to recover from GBS?

A: Miller said there's typically a "prolonged recovery" for someone fighting GBS of "at least a couple of weeks and then months of rehab and rest." He said a general rule of thumb is that one-third of patients usually show signs of recovery within two weeks, the next one-third take four weeks and the final one-third can take up to three months.

Q: Could GBS keep Frederick from ever playing football again?

A: Miller said GBS shouldn't threaten Frederick's career in the NFL. He said only 2 out of every 100,000 people with GBS have a reoccurrence.

"Once the nerves are healed they are fully healed," he said. "It is favorable that it wouldn't permanently alter his career, but a one- or two-month recovery is standard.

"If my patient's job was football, I'd be very hesitant to let him go back to football within a month or two. I'd be very surprised if someone could."

Q: Is there concern that Frederick's GBS symptoms could reoccur when he does return to football considering the physical pounding he takes at his position?

A: Miller said the contact Frederick will endure in football isn't a concern necessarily. What's more of a concern for Frederick is "the intensity of the workout" that comes with playing in the NFL.

"It would slow down his recovery if he was hastened back into the game," Miller said. "It could slow down his recovery or hasten reoccurrence if he overdrives his body early in the recovery period."

Q: Is it a plus that Frederick is in good shape and still young?

A: Miller said on average 80 percent of patients with an early diagnosis and who receive early treatment - Frederick checks both boxes - fully recover from GBS. He said Frederick's recovery should also be helped by the facts he's young and a well-conditioned athlete.

Q: Could Frederick's symptoms and condition get worse?

A: Miller said Frederick may not have seen the worst symptoms yet. He said typically patients with GBS don't reach their peak disability until within seven to 14 days of the onset of the symptoms.

"You have to watch him within the first seven to 14 days to see how severe it's going to be," he added.

Q: Frederick said he's already received two treatments for his GBS, so what does that likely entail?

A: There are two treatments commonly used for acute GBS. Both are considered equally effective, Miller said, if started within two weeks of onset of GBS. One is plasma exchange and the other is intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIg).

IVIg is easier to administer because it's given to patients through a vein in their arm via an IV.

Miller said a patient would receive five treatments in one form. He said the plasma exchange route would require a treatment every other day for 10 days. He said a patient undergoing IVIg would receive one treatment for five consecutive days.

Frederick said in his statement he had already received two treatments "in the last 48 hours" and he would "continue these treatments over the next few days." Considering that timetable, Miller said, it's likely that Frederick's treatment plan is IVIg.