JONES ON THE NBA-FALLING VICTIM TO MICROFRACTURE

JONES ON THE NBA-12/21/04
BY: NATHANIEL JONES



Falling Victim to Microfracture

Several Star NBA players have had fallen victim to serious knee injuries. Most of the serious knee injuries consist of a torn ligament or torn cartilage. Ligament damage can often cause cartilage damage. The Ligaments in the knee hold the knee and the cartilage together, while the cartilage in the knee protects the knee like a shock absorber. Meaning that if an individual were to tear or damage a ligament in their knee (say the ACL), they would also be at high risk for tearing the cartilage in their knee. The loss of cartilage can severely damage a pro athletes career. Imagine having to walk with your femur and tibia rubbing together. Now imagine having to play basketball at professional level with those two bones rubbing together. That’s what athletes that tear or wear away their cartilage must go through. The only option available for these athletes is a surgical procedure called microfracture.

Microfracture is a surgical procedure aimed at cartilage regeneration. The arthroscopic technique involves clearing damaged tissue from the knee joint and creating tiny holes ("microfractures") in the bone area where the cartilage is defective. The underlying bone marrow seeps out through the holes and becomes part of a blood clot that forms over the area. The marrow contains stem cells, which have the ability to form replacement cartilage between the bare-bone surfaces of the knee. Appropriate rehabilitation of the knee after surgery is critical to the success of the operation. Continuous Passive Motion (CPM), where the knee is moved gently by a machine for 5-8 hours a day for several weeks, keeping weight off of the joint for a period of 6-8 weeks, and strict adherence to an aggressive physical therapy program following surgery all appear to enhance the success of the procedure.

Several NBA stars have had the procedure performed on their damaged knees. Some of these stars include Chris Webber, Terell Brandon, Penny Hardaway, Jason Kidd, Allan Houston, and Jamal Mashburn. There’s one common theme amongst these players, and that is that they are never the same. For some players, cartilage re-growth occurs rather quickly, while for others, the re-growth either occurs slowly, or not at all.

Terell Brandon was forced to retire after his knee did not heal properly. Sadly, Jamal Mashburn seems to be heading in that same direction. Penny Hardaway is now fully healed, but he seems to be a shell of his old self. The foundation of Penny’s game used to be his athletic ability, now it is just his basketball savvy and veteran leadership. Since the procedure, Penny has averaged about 10ppg. Compare that statistic to earlier in his career, when he was a perennial 20ppg scorer. One thing I can say about Penny is that he has toughed it out. With his lucrative guaranteed contract, he could have easily avoided the strenuous rehab process and just retired. But like a true competitor, Penny is still out there scrapping, trying to play, despite his loss of talents. Penny has too often been criticized for being frequently injured. How can you criticize a guy for something he has no control over? Especially, when he continually fights back every time he is hit with an injury.

Chris Webber and Allan Houston have also had the microfracture procedure. And as with Penny Hardaway, they have been criticized for missing games and for not being the players they once were. Allan Houston has just made it back from the injured list, so we have not really gotten a grasp on how his game will be affected by the surgery. My feeling is that he won’t be that affected because unlike Penny, Allan’s game has always been about the jump shot, and not about athletic ability. Chris Webber, on the other hand, initially had a very difficult time last year when he came back from the procedure. He had lost most of the athletic ability that had made him the superstar he was. We all saw him struggle in last years playoffs. His hometown Kings fans, and the national media all turned their backs on him during his struggles. Instead of being praised for coming back to help his team, Chris was ridiculed for holding his team back. This year Chris has learned that he can no longer depend on his athletic ability to get him by.

"I've had time to figure it out," Webber said in the Sacramento Bee. "I've been watching a lot of tape of Magic (Johnson) because I don't think he was the best athlete, maybe not even close to being a great athlete. I want to be the most complete player in the game and I want to win."

By persevering and reworking his game Webber is averaging 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and a career-high 5.4 assists this year.

Jason Kidd, the latest victim of the microfracture procedure, has just recently returned to the court. Only time will tell how the procedure affects him. For him to return to his old form might be very difficult, because his game, like Penny’s and Webber’s, was built on his athletic ability. His speed was what made him special. Can he rework his game to regain his old form, or will he end up a shell of himself? Only time will tell.

Nathaniel Jones can be reached at jonesonthenba@yahoo.com

Note: In the 12/18/04 Edition I mentioned Kurt Thomas as one of the Knicks four maximum contract players. Kurt Thomas actually does not have a maximum contract. The fourth player is actually Tim Thomas.