TNT television reported that Greg Oden was diagnosed with a Midfoot Sprain and will be scheduled for an MRI tomorrow. According to TNT, He took X rays tonight that were "inconclusive."
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Update: According to an AP report, the X rays were "negative." Which, paradoxically, is a positive.
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Update 2: According to Casey, the X rays were "inconclusive." is there a difference between "inconclusive" and "negative"? I have no idea. Is there a doctor in the building?
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Update 3: For what it's worth, Quick is also now reporting "inconclusive." Quick adds this detail: Oden "wore a protective black boot after the game."
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Update 4: A must see picture of Greg being driven out of the Staples Center in a Car From The Future. They need to put some rims on that thing. (By the way, this is the moment when Bruce Ely went from great photographer to legendary photographer.)
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The following is general information about midfoot sprains only and not about Greg's injury in particular.
What is a midfoot sprain?
The midfoot is the central area that includes the arch of the foot. In athletes, midfoot sprains usually occur because of a sports-related fall, a collision or an isolated twist of the midfoot, particularly during snowboarding, windsurfing, horseback riding or competitive diving. Among female ballet dancers, midfoot sprains typically happen when the dancer loses her balance while en pointe (on her toes) and spinning or when she lands with her foot abnormally flexed or rotated after a jump. Among people who do not compete in high-risk activities, about one-third of midfoot sprains happen by accident, simply because of an odd twist of the foot during an ordinary stumble or fall. Less often, severe midfoot sprains are the result of high-impact trauma, especially trauma caused by a motor vehicle collision or a fall from a high place. This type of injury is likely to produce not only Grade III sprains, but also foot fractures and open wounds.
Symptoms...
In a mild or moderate midfoot sprain, your midfoot area will be swollen and tender, and there may be some local bruising (black and blue discoloration). In more severe sprains, you may not be able to bear weight on your injured foot.
Expected timeline for recovery...
Mild midfoot sprains usually heal within a few weeks, whereas more severe sprains may take up to two months.
Here's the source of the above information. Here's some more background information on midfoot sprains that suggests a worst-case timeline of up to 1 year to return to playing sports.
Here's an article in which Spencer Hawes missed only 1 game with a midfoot sprain. Here's a cached article from 2005 when TJ Ford went down for 2-3 weeks. Here's an article in which Sasha Pavlovic was out 6+ weeks. Here's an article about Ted Ginn of the Miami Dolphins who was out for 4+ months with a (severe?) midfoot sprain.
Clearly there is a range of timelines in play here, depending on the severity of the sprain.
Here's how Greg did it (image courtesy of Tater Tot King Ezra Caraeff).
Best wishes to Mr. Oden.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)