Randy Meador, WVU’s coordinator of athletic training, is the same fella who’s helped various WVU basketball players the past few years get through injuries both simple and complex. Meador may also be working with Bob Huggins when the basketball coach returns to campus and gets to taking care of his ribs.

Meador’s prediction? “Pain.”

It’s no joke, though. Broken ribs are excruciating and involved in even the most basic of movements, but also the most critical … like breathing. Meador can’t be sure how long Huggins will need, but he knows the 56-year-old coach will need time because of his age and because of the complex and varying nature of all rib breaks.

“If you or I fall down and roll an ankle, I can say four to six weeks and feel pretty safe about it,” Meador said.

“We don’t know what complications there are right now. I hear everything is OK, but there could be complications. Are the fractures straight? Are they lined up? Until you know that, it’s hard to say what happens next.”

Broken-rib cases always involve such variables.

“If you broke seven ribs and I broke seven ribs, which seven did you break and which seven did I break?” Meador said.

“Do all your fractures line up and do all mine line up? How good of shape are you in? How good of shape am I in? Your pain tolerance may be different than mine.

“We could have the same injury, but yours could be different than mine because of various things.”