BOSTON -- Curt Schilling's injury is not common, but another man underwent the same surgery Tuesday at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner took an inside look at the procedure and what patients can expect afterward.

Bob Gaudet's game is soccer, not baseball. The 58-year-old was injured during a game.

"The ball was straight ahead of me, and I pushed off to get the ball and it just popped out, moved, and they carried me off the field," he said.

The tendons from Gaudet's calf had popped out of place.

"They have slid around this back corner of the fibula, which is the outside bone of the ankle," he said.

It's a tough diagnosis to make. Tendons don't show up on X-rays.

"Because this is a vague problem that patients -- they report pain in the ankle for months sometimes. The true nature can be missed for several months," said Dr. Henry Degroot, of Newton Wellesley Hospital.

Gaudet was lucky. He was diagnosed the same night an injured Schilling pitched that heroic World Series game.

"I know the pain he was in. It shoots up the side of your leg every time you move. I got to admire his pitching through the pain. It must have been awful," Gaudet said.

The fix is fairly simple. A surgeon puts the tendons back in place and widens an existing groove to keep them there. Still, it will be a full year before Gaudet is 100 percent recovered.

"But before then he will be able to return to sports. I would say about four months. March might be cutting it a bit close," Degroot said.

But Gaudet is determined to be on a soccer field soon -- just about the time Red Sox Nation turns its attention to Schilling's performance in spring training.

"I think I'll be playing soccer before he pitches. We'll see," Gaudet said.

His surgery took about an hour. He'll have to stay off his left ankle for two weeks and then undergo some physical therapy.