Injury in Jusuf Nurkic's leg: how could rehab work? When could he come back?



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Watching the Portland Trail Blazers has been fun this season. Monday night's game against Brooklyn was entertaining until 2 minutes 22 seconds into the second overtime.

Then I felt sick.

Jusuf Nurkic went for a walk, came down awkwardly and collapsed. The center of Moda remained silent. The players turned away and winced as they were injured themselves.

Nurkic's fractured shin (larger) and fibula (smaller), both bones connecting the knee to the ankle. On Tuesday, he underwent a surgery that revealed great news: no nerve or muscle damage. No nerve damage is particularly serious, as it suggests that Nurkic should recover completely. The question is, how long will it take?

To answer this question, it would be useful to know what type of fracture Nurkic had maintained. I do not know. For example, if he has a transverse fracture in the center of the bones, he should heal much more quickly than a fragmented fracture (multiple fractures) to the ends of the bones, the skin being torn (J Orthop 2019). Nurkic had a "lower energy" fracture caused by sudden torsion, which usually resulted in oblique (angled) or spiral fractures (surrounding the bone). These fractures tend to be easier to repair and heal faster than comminuted fractures.

Jeff Feinblatt, MD, an orthopedic surgeon based in Tualatin, said, "Nurkic was immediately taken to the hospital and given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection. His fracture was considered "low energy" because it did not occur in a car / parachute accident, so his cure rate is higher, but his infection / complication rate is lower. . The video seems to show fractures towards the end of the long, thin bones looking like tubes. This injury is usually treated with a rod placed in the largest bone (shin). This allows for early loading, although bone healing can last for four months or more. A study (Sp Health 2016) revealed that 88% of patients had resumed sport (recreational and competitive) after the treatment of a tibia fracture with a rod, averaging 41 weeks. "

Initially, the main goal will be to control the swelling and pain of Nurkic. Splints can help protect the wound and can be loosened or tightened to allow for fluctuations in pain and swelling (Follow J Orthop 2007). Note that a certain amount of inflammation / swelling is essential to restart healing, but if it persists, it may actually odd healing. A combination of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants and opioids can be used initially to control pain, with little emphasis on opioids, given their potential for dependence and delaying bone healing (Spinal column j 2018 Injury 2018).

Rehabilitation begins on the first day and it will be essential to follow the doctor's instructions to avoid failures. Bones like compression to become stronger, so most doctors allow people to put as much weight on the leg as they can tolerate to speed healing (BONE 2011). The key is to load the bones to a healthy level to make them stronger while avoiding injuries. This can be a delicate balance.

Reinforcement usually starts early with the hip area, the latter being essential for proper functioning of the lower limb (J biomechanics 2007). With upper body strengthening and sitting stationary cycling, these activities can help accelerate fracture healing by increasing blood flow, reducing fat tissue, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and reducing pain (Arch Phys Med Rehab 2010 Sp Med 2005).

Nurkic can also focus on eating healthy foods to recover faster. For example, eating enough protein, calcium, fish oil and vitamin D can improve bone health (BONE 2019 J Orthop Res 2019), although caloric intake is also controlled to prevent excessive accumulation of body fat.

If Nurkic follows his recovery plan, he could return around October.

With his tenacity, his medical team, his teammates and Rip City behind him, it could be sooner.

Colin Hoobler is a doctor in physiotherapy at c. Physical therapy/Reference physiotherapy. You can send an email to Colin at [email protected].

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