Team USA’s scrimmage this past Friday night was definitely one to remember; and not in a good way. ONS Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship trained Sports Medicine Specialist, Timothy Greene, MD, gives us some insight on NBA Super Star, Paul George’s gruesome injury that caused jaws to drop and made an entire arena become strikingly silent.

“NBA star Paul George sustained a gruesome leg injury during Friday night’s Team USA basketball game in Las Vegas. While trying to contest a layup, George’s leg hit the basketball stanchion causing an open tibia/fibular fracture. The injury consists of a complete break of the shin bone and small bone in the lowerleg that penetrates through the skin. When the bone penetrates the skin, there is an increased risk of infection and thus an urgent surgery was preformed the night of the incident to clean and repair the ends of the bone and skin and place a rod in the shin bone.

The road to recovery will most likely be a long one for the NBA superstar. When the bone penetrates the skin, it increases the time for healing. Studies examining these types of injury show that it can take up to 6 months to get complete healing of the bone. Although we often see our professional athlete’s recover and return to a high level of play in a surprisingly rapid timeframe, it is not unreasonable to expect that Paul George may take an entire year to return to elite level basketball.”

To learn more about the incident, read this article by The Huffington Post.

Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery Specialists PC (ONS) is an advanced multi-specialty orthopedic and neurosurgery practice in Greenwich, CT. ONS physicians provide expertise in sports medicine, minimally invasive orthopaedic, spine and brain surgery, joint replacement and trauma. For more information, please visit www.onsmd.i9e.co.