Patella Injuries in NBA History (And Other Sports)
by Norsktroll on Dec 8, 2009 9:17 PM PST
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PrintClick through for a thorough, inspired look at Patella injuries throughout the NBA and other sports, courtesy of all-world commenter Norsktroll.
Want to know what Greg Oden is facing and how other athletes have dealt with similar injuries over the last 30 odd years? This is the post for you.
-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter
Original Post by Norsktroll...
This post got mainly inspired by my hope that Greg Oden can return back to the level he had reached this season rather quickly, and this comment in Dave's What if? What Now? post:
I would like to hear some stats on broken patellas. I have never come across this in my years of playing/coaching/being a fan. How common is this? Should anything be read into this ( I mean, there wasn’t any contact, does Oden have a bone/muscle problem?), Is this an injury from which someone can make a full recovery, like a broken hand, or is it something that forever slows you down, like a ruptured calf?
And mostly, does anyone read the Umpteenth post this far down?!?!?
Yes, I did. I wrote a short reply with some examples I knew by heart and from Kevin Pelton's excellent post on the topic over at Basketball Prospectus, but wanted to look into this in much more detail so I did some research.
The available data not surprisingly is more accurate since the (mid-)90s. As you can see from some examples below this injury has always happened to players, but for much of the earlier occurrences there is no detailed information available. At least on the Internet. Even in the 80s it often just got reported that the knee in general was injured, or a "knee ligament" without stating what exactly happened. Maybe it was an ACL injury, maybe it was a patella injury. So the listings despite long are hardly exhaustive. At the end of this post I also take a look at these injuries in other pro sports (NFL, NHL, baseball, it probably is also a common injury in soccer and other sports) to get some more examples.
I am no orthopedic surgeon, so I can just look into some publicly available sources about variations of this injury to the knee of athletes and see what happened later in their career. Draw your own conclusions. Thanks to sites like CBSSports, Prosportstransactions, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference.com and its sister sites for other sports, Wikipedia, and SBN's own player profiles that all include detailed information on injuries and statistics.
Anatomy of the Knee
From Gray's Anatomy 20th edition, via Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
In Greg Oden's case, the patella (knee cap) seems to have been severely displaced and fractured. BUT, the good news amid that bad news is that the two strong tendons attaching it which control knee flexion and extension - the quadriceps tendon to the quadriceps femoris musle on the upper leg and the patellar tendon to the lower leg -reportedly were not torn. Also no other surrounding ligaments (ACL, MCL) were damaged.
(The term patellar tendon is a bit misleading, since tendons typically attach bones to muscles. It really is a ligament, attaching a bone to a bone, in this case the patella to the tibia. I will continue to use the term tendon since that is what usually got reported.)
Here is a look at different kinds of patella and patellar tendon injuries over the years.
Broken and/or dislocated patella
SF Elgin Baylor, 1965, age 30, Lakers: Fracture?
Required surgery on "injured kneecap" in April.
Next season: Appeared in 65 games, but saw his minutes and points drop massively by about 1000 each. Apparently made a full recovery returning to his previous level of production in the following seasons.
G Ronnie Lester, 1983, age 24, Bulls: Fracture
Fractured right kneecap in March, out for the remainder of the season (played 65 games).
Next season: Appeared in 43 games. Declining numbers, ended his career in 1985-86 on the Lakers after being placed on the injured list with "tendinitis in knee". He continued to work there as a scout and eventually as an assistant GM.
Trivia time: Ronnie was drafted by the Trail Blazers with the 10th pick of the first round in the 1980 NBA draft but got immediately traded along with a 1981 first round pick (#4 Al Wood) to Chicago for Kelvin Ransey and their 1981 first round pick (#15 Darnell Valentine).
C Shawn Bradley, 1994, age 22, 76ers: Dislocation and chipping
Dislocated patella and bone chip in left knee had to be surgically treated in February, out for the remainder of the season (his rookie year).
Next season: Played in all 82 games recording the most minutes of his career and improving his numbers in about all categories. Followed by a ten year career with some other sprains and muscle tears, but seemingly no ill effects from this particular injury.
SF LaPhonso Ellis, 1994, age 24, Nuggets: Stress fracture
Stress fracture of the right patella in September. Initially prognosticated to be out 8 weeks he only appears in 6 games that season.
Next season: Appeared in 45 games with lower numbers than in the season before the injury (sophomore). Then production goes up again in the following 2 seasons to the former level. After that he needed different arthroscopic surgeries on the other knee, and continued to be somewhat injury prone.
PF Bison Dele (born Brian Carson Williams), 1995, age 25, Nuggets: Stress fracture
Small stress fracture of or below left kneecap in February. Played 63 games that year.
Next season: Played 65 games for the Clippers, starting all and posting career highs up to that time.
SF Mario Bennett, 1995, age 22, Suns: Severe bruise, chipping?
Surgery on left knee to repair what was reported as "roughening under kneecap" (chondromalacia) at the end of October. Comparable to a bone chip a la what Greg had last year? Missed 4 months before he was reactivated.
Next season: No team in 1996-97. Appeared in 45 games in 1997-98 for the Lakers, the most of his short NBA career.
C Priest Lauderdale, 1996, age 23, Atlanta: Partial dislocation
Happened in mid-November. No surgery, played in 35 games that season.
Next season: Played in 39 games, posting better numbers in most categories. His short NBA career then ended (28th pick). He continued his career in US minor leagues and internationally in Cyprus, Bulgaria (citizenship after 3 years in the league), Saudi Arabia, China, and Iran where he is still active.
PF/C Dino Radja, 1997, age 29, Celtics: Patella fracture
Required surgery on left patella in January, missed the rest of the season.
Next season: Six months later he failed a physical voiding a trade that would have sent him to the 76ers for Clarence Weatherspoon. Never played in NBA again but successfully continued career in Europe (somewhat easier schedules), winning 2 Greek championships with Panathinaikos, a league MVP title, a Croatian championship, and playing until 2003 at age 36.
SG/SF Greg Buckner, 2001, age 24, Mavericks: Dislocation
Dislocated left kneecap in April. Missed the remainder of the season.
Next season: Appeared in 44 games for the Mavericks on about the same level of the previous season (when he played 37 games). Then in 75 games for the Suns, posting career highs or close to that in many categories.
PF Antonio McDyess: See below for injuries to both the patella and the tendon
PG Shaun Livingston, 2004, age 19, Clippers: Dislocation
Dislocated right patella end of November during his rookie season. Appeared in 30 games.
Next season: Appeared in 61 games, the most of his career so far. Then obviously hurt the other knee much more severely in 2007 dislocating not just the kneecap but tearing multiple ligaments in a well-covered gruesome moment. Successful comeback at the end of the 2008-09 season.
SF Jarvis Hayes, 2005 and 2006, age 24, Wizards: Two patella fractures
On March 2nd 2005 he was put on the injured list with 'right knee tendinitis'. Two days later he was diagnosed with a fractured patella, and missed the remainder of the season. It appears that he didn't have surgery.
Next season: After a preseason game, swelling returned to the knee and he missed the rest of the preseason but was named a starter. On December 15, he had to leave a game vs. the Lakers, and was diagnosed 3 days later with another fracture to the right kneecap. He again tried to let it heal without surgery, but in mid-February 2006 ultimately needed to have screws inserted and missed the rest of the season. For the 2006-07 season he returned and appeared in all but 1 regular season games. In the 2007-08 season he played all 82 games. His total stats dropped slightly due to a decrease in minutes per game, though he eventually became a more efficient shooter and played similar minutes again. It's debatable how much better his career would have become without the injury (e.g. clear starter instead of just rotation player).
SG/PG Randy Foye, 2007, age 24, Timberwolves: Stress reaction/fracture
Stress reaction in November 2007 in left patella. Missed 43 games.
Next season: Appeared in 70 games posting career-highs in minutes, points, assists.
C Andrew Bynum, 2008, age 20, Lakers: Dislocated patella
On January 14th, Bynum dislocated his left kneecap and suffered a bone bruise in a game against the Grizzlies. He was initially expected to be out 8 weeks. After slow healing progress, he required an additional arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bone debris from the knee and thus missed the rest of the season/playoffs.
Next season: Returned to full form, until in February 2009 an unrelated torn MCL in the other knee caused him to miss two months.
PF Blake Griffin, 2009, age 20, Clippers: Patella stress fracture (not dislocated)
This year's #1 draft pick is out with a fractured left patella since end of October, and not expected back until Christmas. He opted to have no surgery (rather a crack than a complete break).
C Greg Oden, 2009, age 22, Blazers: Patella fracture (dislocated)
Injury on the left knee on December 5th, projected to be out for remainder of the season. Had already suffered what was reported as a 'bone chip' on the same knee after a collision missing 15 games in the previous season. The two injuries were reported as not related to each other by the surgeon examining Oden.
Bruised patella
A much milder form with no (severe) breaks. Some examples from a longer list:
PF/C Harvey Catchings, 1982, age 31, Bucks
Put on IL with bruised kneecap for November. Still appeared in 74 games with no discernible drop in production.
PF Shawn Kemp, 1995, age 25, Sonics
Had to leave a game with a bruise, but played in 79 games that season at the peak of his production.
C Bryant Reeves, 1998, age 24, Van. Grizzlies
Missed most of April.
SG/SF Quentin Richardson, 2003, age 22, Clippers
Missed about the last 2 weeks of the season, played 62 games in total.
Next season: Played 79 games, stats on same level (some up to career highs, some down)
SF Caron Butler, 2009, age 29, Wizards
Bruised left patella end of October. Missed 1 game.
Injuries to the patellar tendon
Milder forms usually stated as "strained patellar tendon" and "patellar tendinitis" (inflammation) on injury reports. Many, many occurrences of this injury. Here is a quick rundown of some:
Danny Manning, 1990, Clippers
James Worthy, 1994, Lakers
Ben Wallace, 1997, Bullets
Bruce Bowen, 1997, Heat
Dominique Wilkins, 1997, Spurs. Missed 8 games.
Otis Thorpe, 1997, Vancouver Grizzlies. Missed 4 games.
Donyell Marshall, 1999, Warriors. Again in 2000.
Fred Hoiberg, 1999-2000, Bulls. He managed to strain the quadriceps tendon in both legs, the counterpart to the patellar tendon that gets injured less often. Missed much of the season playing only 31 games.
Stephon Marbury, 2000, Nets. Again in 2006.
J.R. Reid, 2000, Cavaliers. Both knees, eventually ending his career that season after appearing in just 6 games.
Brian Cardinal, 2001, Pistons. Again in 2002. In both knees.
Antonio Harvey, 2001, Sonics
Jonathan Bender, 2002, Pacers. In his case it was the first sign in a series of more serious knee problems over 3 years (usually just described as a "sore knee" in the injury reports), ultimately leading to his retirement.
Brent Barry, 2003, Sonics
Mike Sweetney, 2003, Knicks
Joel Przybilla, 2004, Hawks. 'Left knee patella tendinitis', placed on IL for close to 4 months after initial diagnosis of 4-6 weeks. Might have been more than just tendinitis, or just a strategic move to free a spot.
Anderson Varejao, 2004, Cavs
Mario Kasun, 2004, Magic. Again in 2005.
Tim Thomas, 2005, Knicks
Kenyon Martin, 2005, Nuggets
Mike Miller, 2007, Grizzlies. Missed 1 month.
And dozens more players. It was and is a common cause for missing a few games especially while the injured lists still existed, usually returning after anything from 1 game to 2 weeks.
Torn or partially torn patellar tendon: A much more severe injury.
SF Cedric Ceballos, 1996-97, age 27, Lakers/Suns
Partial tear of the right patellar tendon in November 1996, expected to be out 2 months. He got reactivated in January, but it continued to bother him throughout the season missing several more games with a strained patella in March after a trade to the Suns. He continued to have s ome problems with his right knee (meniscus) and especially his wrists over the following years. Some drop in production, though he did have another strong season with the Mavericks in 1999-00.
PF Antonio McDyess, 2001-2003, age 27-29, Nuggets: Several fractures and tears
Subluxated left patella in March 2001 (partial/incomplete dislocation). Missed remainder of the season.
Initially there was no surgery, then in October 2001 he required surgery to repair what was then diagnosed as a partially torn patellar tendon. In addition he needed arthroscopic surgery on the right knee to clean out some loose debris and was expected to be out 3-4 months. In March 2002 he briefly got activated, but was deactivated quickly again when both knees got inflamed.
Next season: Joining the Knicks that offseason, he was immediately placed on the injured list with a "left knee inflammation", and then in October required another surgery to repair a fracture to the left patella. In April 2003 he needed yet another surgery on the left knee patella missing the entire 2002-03 season.
When finally returning to action, he played in 42 games in 2003-04 season. Then continued to play several seasons completely or close to. His statistics dropped significantly across the board before going up slightly again but never back to previous state. However as of now he is still active as a rotation player.
SF Glen Rice, 2001-02, age 34, Rockets
Partial tear in December required surgery on right knee a month later, out for the remainder of the season.
Next season: Appeared in 62 games, but he continued to have some problems with the right knee (strain, hyperextension, bruise). His stats dropped slightly, and at age 36 he was reaching his career end the following season where he appeared in his last 18 games.
PG Damon Stoudemire, 2005-06, age 32, Grizzlies
Surgery on torn right patellar tendon in January 2006 after injuring it just before the end of the year, out for remainder of the season.
He already had suffered from what was deemed 'left knee tendinitis' a decade earlier when on the Raptors missing the end of the 1995-96 season without going into detail which tendon. While with the Blazers he missed much of November with 2001 right knee tendinitis.
Next season: Played in 62 games. Stats dropped to level from a few years earlier while about maintaining efficiency. Career end after 2007-08 season where he played in another 60 games.
C Alonzo Mourning, 2007, age 37, Heat
Surgery on right knee to repair torn patellar tendon after 25 games, out for remainder of the season.
Update: He had already sustained a partial tear in the left knee in 1997 pausing for ca. 3 months (initial diagnosis was 8 to 12 weeks), and missed a few games in December 2004 with 'right knee tendinitis'.
Next season: Ended career
SG Kelenna Azubuike, 2009, age 26, Warriors
Torn patellar tendon in left knee after having appeared in 9 games, out for the season. In the video of the injury it looked like someone had beaten him out of mid-air with a bat when he tried to go up on a drive to the basket.
Other sports: NFL
DT/NT Joe Klecko, 1982, age 29, Jets
Torn patellar tendon in left knee in September, out for season
Next season: 16 games. Played successfully until age 35 reaching 3 more Pro Bowls and 1 first-team all-pro selection.
RB/Ret Byron Hanspard, 1998, age 22, Falcons
Torn patellar tendon and torn ACL in August, out for season.
Next season: 12 games, his last.
DE Joseph T. Johnson, 1999, age 27, Saints
Torn patellar tendon in August, out for season
Next season: 16 games, AP Comeback Player of the Year, Pro Bowl selection
RB Correll Buckhalter, 2004 + 2005, age 26, Eagles
Torn patellar tendon in right knee August 2004, out for season
Next season: August 2005 torn patellar tendon in right knee requiring surgery again, out for another season. Continued career in 2006 appearing in 16 games. Then played 3 more years upping his production again after a drop.
LB Antwan Peek, 2008, age 29, Browns
Torn patellar tendon in right knee in September, out for season. Ended NFL career.
Other sports: Baseball
It doesn't seem to be a very common problem there. The only events that I could find were:
Milton Bradley (Dodgers) in 2005 with a torn patella tendon as well as ACL injury in the left knee requiring surgery.
Manny Ramirez (Red Sox) in 2006 with tendinitis.
Aramis Ramirez (Cubs) in 2007 with tendinitis.
Jeff Keppinger (Reds) in 2008 with a 'kneecap injury' (fracture).
Other sports: NHL
D Borje Salming, 1984, age 32, Maple Leafs
"Cracked kneecap" in March, out for the rest of the season.
Next season: Appeared in 73 games, among the most of his career. Played until age 38.
D Glen Cochrane, 1984, age 26, Flyers
"Multiple fractures" of the right patella in March, out for the season.
Next season: Appeared in 18 games, down from 67. Continued his career with the Vancouver Canucks, playing in 49 games the following season and eventually in 73. Ended career at age 31.
D Doug Halward, 1987, age 31, Red Wings
Dislocated kneecap and damaged ligament in January. Only 11 games that season.
Next season: Played in 70 games, the third-most of his career. Played one more season after that before retiring.
D Michael Thelven, 1988, age 28, Bruins
Tendinitis and inflammation under right patella in December. Played in 40 games.
Next season: Played in only 6 more games before ending his career.
D Shawn Chambers, 1990, age 24, North Stars
Fractured left kneecap in October, surgery in December. Played in 29 games that season after a career-high 78.
Next season: Changed teams and played in only 2 games for the Washington Capitals. But then had a successful career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars until age 33 winning 2 Stanley Cups.
Trivia: "Chambers holds the record as the athlete with the lowest rating in video game history. In EA's NHL 93, then a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had an overall rating of 1." (Wikipedia)
C Bob 'Bobby' Carpenter, 1990, age 27, Bruins
Surgery on fractured left kneecap in December, out for the season after playing in 29 games.
Next season: Played in 60 games, and continued his career for 7 more seasons mainly with the New Jersey Devils (along with Chambers) helping them win their first Stanley Cup. He stayed as an assistant coach winning two more.
D Shea Weber, 2007, age 22, Predators
Dislocated kneecap in October, out several weeks. Played in 54 games.
Next season: Played in 81 games posting career-highs. Is still with the same team.
C/RW Dainius Zubrus, 2009, age 31, Devils
Fractured right patella in November after 20 games, out indefinitely. In NHL since age 18.
General observations
So all in all injuries to this part of the body are not uncommon. A number of NBA players were able to recover very well from it, others not so much. Injuries involving a rupture of the tendon tended to have a lot more severe consequences, so that definitely is a plus for Oden's recovery.
Age doesn't seem to have a lot to do with it. Athletes are injuring themselves there from their early 20s to their mid-30s.
One thing I found interesting where I'm not sure if that means something or not: Severe injuries to the patella and patellar tendon very often seem to happen early in the season (November, December, January). Are supporting muscles and ligaments really "tired" for the first time then? Imbalances in the body? I don't know.
I hope this rundown of players gives you some hope that Greg Oden can recover well from this serious injury, and continue to have a successful and long career.
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Comments
now that's a long post.
it’s good to see that several others have come back from this injury.
and thank god he didn’t tear any ligaments or tendons.
Skadoosh
Great work Norsk
Jeff Keppinger (MLB) happened to be one of the guys I came across, since he did have a fractured patella. He went back to the minors the next year, but I think he was a fringe guy before the injury.
He swung and foul-tipped a baseball directly into his kneecap
“Country” Kepp was playing for the Reds a few years back and was having a great year at the plate, until the injury. He tried to come back from it too soon and struggled, then was dealt to the Astros
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Nice job, Norsk. This thing deserves the top of page spot
I was blinded to that by sick alley-oops and facials
not to mention Greg crotchifyin’ suckas
Great list
Thanks so much for this. Good stuff, and I am as hopeful as ever that Greg can fully recover from this.
Azubuike’s injury looked nasty. Best wishes to him, too. Good young player.
Rec
Thanks for the info…..that had to have taken some time.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
I wish the doctors
could of injected some epoxy or something into his other patella while they were at it. Something that would fortify it. Wishful thinking I know…
How about an adamantium skeleton like Wolverine?
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Dec 8, 2009 10:06 PM PST up reply actions
I was considering doing that for this comment,
But I suck on photoshop.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Dec 9, 2009 11:36 AM PST up reply actions
no.. that'd be me and I ain't cheap so keeping me is out of the question.
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
Head Czar of Amerika <--- Mortimer said so so there!!!
That's not what I heard.
Pocket change and a Starbuck’s latte (laced with a pint of cheap vodka) and you’ll do just about anything.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Dec 9, 2009 7:49 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Rent the faith.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Dec 9, 2009 11:36 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Great work...
Unfortunately, I am more worried about Greg’s general propensity to get injured and the cumulative effect of injuries on his development than about this particular injury.
Jeez do you get paid for this?
cause this is intense. nice work.
Norsk gets paid with the adulation of BEdgers.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Dec 9, 2009 11:37 AM PST up reply actions
As a veteran of Knee surgeries and . . .
a student of human anatomy (college & physical training/therapy), I can
tell you there is a BIG difference between torn patellar tendon and fractured
patella (kneecap). I’m missing 1/3 of my left patellar tendon as the old ACL
surgery it was used to graft into the torn ligament. The bone will mend for GO
& he will be back. My advice to GO – Get on the celery juice !!!! Great for arthritis
and calcium buildup !!
Hang in there GO !!! Stay strong & come back hard !!!
It's GO time !
what is the difference
between apple soup and warm applesauce?
Honor Alaa Abdelnaby.
First in the NBA. At least alphabetically
So celery juice is good for knees?
I too am missing portions of a couple of tendons, used as replacement ACL & PCL. Now I’m finding that I can’t run without my knees killing me. According to the doc, I have arthritis and tendonitis in both, with the kneecaps displaced.
I’m starting back on the gylcosamin (sp?). Other than that it is icing and aspirin.
hakkaa päälle !
Celery juice has natural refined sodium . . .
that breaks up calcium deposits. It is the miracle cure for arthritis, some
headaches, etc. Since it is a stalk vegatable (portion you eat/juice) it stores
all of the vital nutrients from the soil in the stalk. I combine fresh celery (70 %)with
carrot (15 %) and apple (15 %). The carrot and apple sweeten the celery juice taste
and add vitamin B & C as well as other root nutrients. Make sure not to juice the
celery leaves as that is the portion that makes the juice bitter.
Celery won’t help with the tendinitis – (ice, massage, heat & stretching), but will
definately help with arthritis. My primary arthritis is in my ankles (a lifetime of severe
sprains), but left knee (full reconstruction- 89) is balky from all of the kneeling techniques
in Aikido. I wish GO could commit to a good juice regimen, it would really help his
recovery !
It's GO time !
Do you get the same effect from just eating celery?
Not that it matters, as I do have a juicer.
Or is that “I am a juicer.” ? I get so confused. Particularly after I drink my lunch.
Oops, gotta go. Off to the wine shop for tonight’s selection.
hakkaa päälle !
You could, if . . .
you could eat enough. The great thing about a juicer is you get all
the most beneficial nutrients in the juice without all of the fiber. I’m one
of those apple a day guy’s and with eating salads regularily, I get plenty
of fiber. It would be the equivilent of taking a vitamin C (Rose hips) pill
vs. eating 4 or 5 oranges. Fresh vegetables and fruit are great healthy food
in any quanity. Growing up on a small farm has set a pattern in that regard
and I have reaped the benefit with a great immune system.
Celery stalks are ok (especially with PB), but a 32 oz. of the above juice
mix is great for one a week arthritis/vitamin/mineral boost.
What have you been drinking lately ? I was a sommelier/ fine dining
waiter for many years and although I haven’t stayed up on winery trends I
still dabble and enjoy. NW Pinot Noir is always a fav.
It's GO time !
I like health food but celery juice taste like dirty tap water
Cant you recommend something else. Anything. Also whats good for a lower back thats missing cartilage?
I would try gummy bears. At least they are full of gelatin.
I had an orthopedic surgeon recommend that when I had some light knee problems after too many workouts. Don’t know how serious he was, but it can’t really hurt.
The use of the patella tendon to reconstruct the ACL always struck me as iffy
But it pales compared to one procedure they used to do. This was before it was understood that the main purpose of the ACL is to rein in knee rotation, thus protecting the meniscus. The procedure in question: using the meniscus to reconstruct the ACL! How ass-backwards is that?
But there’s 20th century medicine for you. They used the Illotibial Band to reconstruct my ACL (back in ’83) and it worked fairly well. I guess I got off easy.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
My opinion...
Now I’m not quite an orthopedic surgeon (I’m studying to be one!) but I do have a little bit of knowledge about these joint injuries and injury mechanisms, as well as the biomechanics regarding muscle lines of pull and ligament damage, especially in the knee. Judging by what I saw during the game and the fact that he had surgery, I think it’s very unlikely he totally split his patella in two. That type of injury is usually a result of blunt trauma directly to the knee cap and causes an incredible amount of swelling and pain.
Given that the mode of injury seems to have been an eccentric contraction causing a fracture, I think the fracture was much smaller and it actually looks like he dislocated his patella more than anything. The timetable for a broken patella (split down the middle) is more like a year, year and half to return fully. The surgical treatment involves the insertion of screws and wires to hold the patella in place, and the patient is usually forced to be inactive for much longer than the 2 months estimated by KP. This is due to the large amount of force the rectus femoris (largest quadricep muscle) puts on the patella. Obviously the patella must be completely healed before rehab can begin otherwise the force of the rectus femoris can cause displacement or disruption of the healing bone. Later, a second procedure is required to remove the wires and screws so the knee can move smoothly.
Again, not being there and not having an actual doctor explain to me what happened this is only a guess. I’m very curious to see if it ever comes out exactly what his injury was, as “fractured patella” is extremely vague. Again, based on KP’s stated timeline of about 4-6 months and his expectation that Greg will be 100% by training camp, my guess is a much smaller fracture that caused dislocation.
It’s hard to speculate on the future, but both the cartilage damage he suffered leaded to microfracture surgery and now a fractured patella tend to lead to early development of arthritis. I’m speaking now mostly about Greg as a person in his post-basketball career when I say that I feel very sorry for him and his 7-feet, 280 lbs body being supported by two potentially painful knees by the time he reaches his mid-40s. I really feel for the guy and I really deeply hope he can will himself through rehab and recover quickly!
by sPresley on Dec 8, 2009 10:31 PM PST reply actions 3 recs
Thanks for your extensive comment
Of course without having seen the X-rays and MRIs much less the inside of the knee during surgery it’s hard to say how extensive the damage was. And that also doesn’t get tracked in historical comparisons, so every injury is slightly different. What could be seen on photos from Greg’s knee were two large bumps with one to the side, and a big dent where you would expect the patella. I’m lacking comparison to be able to say how a ‘normal/clean’ displacement and a broken and displaced kneecap should look like, so I just assumed it really split which as you say hopefully wasn’t even the case.
It’s also still a bit hard to understand how it happened. Did the strong quadriceps muscle just pull the patella out of place when he placed his leg awkwardly for the jump? Are his tendons just more ‘loose’ than for most athletes? Is there an increased danger of this happening again (doesn’t really seem to be from the historical comparisons)?
It really didn't even appear that GO placed his left leg awkwardly for the jump
If anything, the RIGHT knee looked a bit twisted. Perhaps because of that, he essentially jumped one-legged, putting unusual strain on the left knee?
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
I <3 Norsk!!!
“Sacrificing Sex, Work and School for BEdge Since June 2008”
godenposse will make it's triumvirate return 5.2.2010
A new uniform requirement
A new rule should be that every player in the NBA (and college to) is required to wear elastic knee pads on both knees as part of the uniform. That would eliminate this kind of injury from happening. I don’t know why athletes don’t take these kind of precautions on their own.
Well,
The knee pads would only protect the knees from getting struck by other knees. The stress fractures caused from over use would still occur.
Wow
Excellent and much appreciated.
My studied medical conclusion: Greg will be back to dunking on fools in no time. Ya heard?
Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
how many were non-contact?
Great post, one question though. How many of these other injuries were “non-contact” and does that term make it any different?
Brilliant as always, Norskie. REC.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Wow, Norsk! I don't know how you manage to do all this!
And this is almost more than I wanted to know about the patella. However, thank you very much. I’m very glad you’re on our team rather than on some other team!
Nice Post!-You never disappoint!
It seems to me that the knee is similar to a combination lock. The right twist and it pops apart. The Livingston scenario was “gruesome”, as well, Gregs was pretty gnarly, and both happened with no contact to the knee.
I also have to be slightly suspicious when the knee he chipped, fractures the very next season. I know the doc said he saw nothing to prove the fracture was caused by the chip, but if not, what a coincidence!
Anyways, definitely a painful injury. A bummer for GO, the Blazers and the Fans. Lets hope Greg heals quick so we can get the big fella back on the court!
The Dude: Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!
by cavejunctionblazer on Dec 9, 2009 1:03 AM PST reply actions
ps-rec
The Dude: Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!
by cavejunctionblazer on Dec 9, 2009 1:04 AM PST up reply actions
Rodrick Stewart
Im sure its been talked about before but any one know how he recovered? btw his was non contact similar to GO
Warning graphic!
Thx
Thanks for the great response/article. Sounds like he has a good shot at coming back as good as new. Get well Greg.
Great information here
I’m wondering what percentage of the players listed suffered their injury in a similar matter as Greg, ie, no contact. I understand players twisting ankles or knees without contact but to break a kneecap seems pretty crazy. Was it weakened or fractured slightly by something and it was a cumulative thing? Is it common to break the knee cap with no contact?
I think it’s to Greg’s benefit that none of his injuries are related, he’s not Sam Bowie or Bill Walton. But I’m not sure how much better that is. Obviously his size makes for additional stress on his body but how many of his problems are bad luck and how much is just the way he’s built? Are there examples of players with this kind of a 4-5 year injury filled stretch who then were able to play well and with few injuries?
Information on if an injury was sustained with or without contact unfortunately doesn't get recorded in the injury reports
You could only piece that together from press releases and articles about the injury, and then you really can only account for the injuries sustained since the mid- to late nineties when that information made it on the Internet unless you do an enormous amount of research.
But you e.g. can assume that stress fractures usually happened without specific contact, so that would include some of the players listed. Also patella tendon tears can happen without contact, as the example of Azubuike shows. In fact I would assume that many of these injuries happen without a specific traumatic contact (maybe not the ones where the patella was busted in “multiple fractures” as one report claimed), but can’t really confirm that.
Did greg overcompensate on one knee?
I’m wondering if Greg overcompensated on his posture due to microfracture, putting more stress on this current knee.
Cloudy is Sergio. Makes other people look good, can’t score himself. -Cablinasian
Greg Postertag is probably wielding a jack hammer of a Wenis - AK1984
I'm already looking forward next season.
Then one of the many questions facing this group of guys will be finally answered. How does a franchise decide what direction to go in and what moves to make with so many question mark players on its roster?
I guess coach Nate had the right idea keeping Greg on the bench many times this season when he wasnt in foul trouble while my friends and I were yelling at him to put GO back in. Sorry coach.
Portland's PG of the Future - MORE John Wall
Treat people well because Karma can hit you at any second.
Patella
Sounds like the silver lining is that it is not a torn Patella.
The one thing we learned from Oden’s play this season before the injury that in terms of his basketball skills, this guy is capable of playing all-star caliber ball.
What remains to be seen is if he achieve enough injury-free years to be able to achieve an all-star career.
One thing to think about- apparently Joel Przybilla was plagued by injuries in the earlier part of his career. In the last couple of years he’s been the Rock of Gibraltar.
OK, now the homework assignment
The rest of the team, especially Brandon Roy, need to figure out mentally how they are going to be able to mesh with Greg Oden when he is back on the court again hopefully by the beginning of next season.
No more going 30 games into the season trying to figure out how to play alongside a center who’s strong on the offensive end of the court.
Oden
One thing about it, Oden really did a fantastic job of stepping up his game by his hard work in the off season. I see no reason why the upgrades he made to his skills won’t stick.
Another off season of similar training and he could come back next season even better.
The guy is young and there is a lot of time for him to still have a stellar career in the NBA.
We’re all pulling for you Greg.
Oden
Here’s my prescription for Oden in the off season.
You’re about as good a rebounder as anyone in the NBA, that is obviously instinctive talent, and you dunk fine.
You got your free throw down this season.
You have improved your shooting but could still use some improvement in your accuracy on the hook shot and jumper.
Also, get your weight down yet a bit more next year, that should reduce the risk of yet another long-term injury. That worked wonders for Przybilla.
The knee...
is quite amazing.
Who designed that thing?
The cowards never started
The weak died along the way
Only the strong survived
They were the Trailblazers
They say it's kind of jury-rigged
For the most part, it was designed for moving on all-fours. Once our ancestors went upright, we were set up for problems.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
He'll come back fine from this;
and then something else will break/sprain/fracture/fall off his body after 20 games. Back to surgery. Rehab. Repeat.
Awesome work
Btw, Michael Redd is returning tomorrow following his latest left patella tendon strain. He missed major time in 2007 with the same injury.
http://www.brewhoop.com/2009/11/2/1111428/redd-out-at-least-two-weeks
Great stuff Norskie
This just means a fanshot at StR though. (As usual with your great stuff.)
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
SF Elgin Baylor, 1965, age 30, Lakers: Fracture?
Required surgery on “injured kneecap” in April.
Next season: Appeared in 65 games, but saw his minutes and points drop massively by about 1000 each. Apparently made a full recovery returning to his previous level of production in the following seasons.
I was never quite the same after this injury. Before this injury I was amazing, but this was the first in a series of knee injuries for me, and back then, knee surgery was barbaric compared to what it is nowadays. – Elgin
Travis Outlaw, the Funnel Cake of the Blazers
Erm wait....
Your “the” Elgin Baylor…. or is that a quote of his??
by MischiefPortland on Dec 22, 2009 11:50 PM PST up reply actions
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