Kevin Durant sustained a Jones fracture in his right foot and will likely miss the first month of the season. Sam Presti said no apparent injury caused this injury and that it happened over time. Kevin will likely miss the 6-8 weeks needed to recovery from this type of injury. Thursday, KD announced that he had successful foot surgery and will be re-evaluated in 6 weeks. He will miss the first 16 games. The procedure, which took place with Thunder medical personnel present, was performed at the OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Clinic in Charlotte, N.C. by Dr. Robert Anderson.
So what is a Jones fracture, is it common, and could it happen to you? The Jones fracture is a fracture to the base of the 5th metatarsal. It is classified in the Stewart Classification System: Type 1 Jones fracture is a transverse fracture 1.5cm from the base of the 5th metatarsal. The Jones fracture is notorious for "non union" that is where the bone does not heal. The reasons the fracture is unlikely to heal is the vascular or blood supply to that particular area and the pull of the Peroneus Brevis Tendon which can lead to gapping of the fracture sites. Surgery is the go to option since KD is a professional athlete and needs to get back as soon as possible. They will likely place a screw inside the shaft of the 5th metatarsal bone to support and bring the two fracture ends closer together. The "Gold standard" is if the two fracture ends are more than 2 mm apart you should go to surgery but the possibility for non union makes his situation a "Lets go to surgery case."
The recovery period is standard. Keep the foot clean and dry for the first 2 weeks. At that time, the stitches will be removed and he will be able to get the foot wet and start to shower. KD will be non weight bearing for 6-8 weeks until the x-ray's show good bone contact. He will be using a walking boot, crutches and/or a knee walker. We have performed many successful surgeries exactly like the one KD had done.
Could this happen to you? Sounds like the sources are saying that KD's injury just happened and he does not remember any injury of fall to the area. Most of the times I hear the same story in my office. A patient will tell a story about moving over the weekend or starting a new exercise or running regimen. They will have pain in the foot and have noticed swelling to the top or bottom of the foot. After they are seen in the office, one or two x-rays will confirm the fracture. Sometimes a stress fracture, which is a fracture in normal bone due to repetitive load, will take 14-21 days to show up on x-rays.
So yes, it is possible, if you do any activity that is repetitive in nature, Most of us are not NBA players but treatment is the same. The Dr. will look at the x-rays to see how bad the fracture is to determine if you will need surgery or conservative care.
I thought I would leave a few topics to choose from in the future. Most of the information on this blog page will relate to ultra running, biking gear, nutrition, hydration and race information that I am training for or have completed.
