Bengals running back Joe Mixon appears headed toward arthroscopic surgery.

There was no traumatic injury obvious by video on Thursday night, but Mixon entered and exited the game several times.


This likely means something that comes and goes in his knee.

The two most likely culprits are a meniscus tear that flips around or a loose body (floating chip of bone).

Think of it like a pebble in your shoe. When it’s between the toes, it doesn’t bother you. But when the small rock moves to the ball of your foot, it causes pain.


I have not examined Mixon nor seen his MRI, but this would be the main potential causes for his intermittent symptoms.

The good news is it can be cured with a scope.

The better news is, barring anything else being discovered, a simple meniscus trim or removal of a loose body leads to the quickest of recoveries.


If he has the scope soon, with the Thursday game, he could be back and effective after missing only one game (or maybe two) and should quickly return to near 100 percent.

Surgery is never good news. In this case, however, it is not all bad.