High Level Players Meniscus Surgery

[kodo]

It gets asked often enough that I thought a reference of previous meniscus surgeries and recovery times might be useful.

People can make their own decisions on if the surgery affected their performance.
EDIT: sorted by last surgery date

Kemba Walker
2015: torn lateral mensicus in the right knee
Surgery: media calls it "repair" but may not be accurate
Recovery: estimated at 6 weeks

Eric Bledsoe
2011: torn right lateral meniscus
Surgery: ?
Recovery: 4 months
2014: torn meniscus in right knee
Surgery: arthroscopic partial removal
Recovery: 2 months (original estimate: 4-6 weeks)

Danilo Gallinari
2014: torn meniscus in the right knee
Surgery: called "repair" by the media but the timetable indicates a partial removal
Recovery: 4 weeks (original estimate was 3 weeks)

Russell Westbrook
2013: lateral meniscus tear in the right knee
Surgery: full repair
Recovery: months
Complications: 2 arthroscopic knee surgeries on the right knee
Recovery: 4-6 weeks; impacted by broken hand

Ron Artest
2013: partial left meniscus tear
Surgery: partial removal
Recovery: 12 days (original estimate: 4-6 weeks)

It helped that the surgery was not too invasive. World Peace said a "little flap" of meniscus was removed and "they're not stitching nothing together, they're just scoping."

Jeremy Lin
2012: “small chronic” meniscus tear in left knee
Surgery: arthroscopic
Recovery: near end of the season, didn't try to come back that season

Blake Griffin
2008: Meniscus removal in the right knee in college
2012: Medial Meniscus Tear in left knee
Surgery: partial meniscectomy
Recovery: 8 weeks, but Blake claims he could have come back much sooner.

"I came back after surgery and started rehabbing and getting back into it. I've been shooting and lifting [weights] and all that for a while now," Griffin said. "So, I'm pretty much back at 100%, been back 100% for a little bit. So I'm good."

"In talking to my doctor, he told me if this was the season and the playoffs were coming up, I would have been out two or three weeks," Griffin said. "We're kind of taking our time with it and really making sure we meet every single area and making sure that my strength is 100% back to where it needs to be.

"But it's been there for two or three weeks now. So, really, I'm just kind of working myself into condition and still getting my basketball work in and getting my lifts in."

Chris Paul
2010: torn meniscus in the left knee
Surgery: partial removal (originally opted for repair)

* Iman Shumpert suffered a lateral meniscus tear along with his ACL tear

Not included: Bynum (other knee issues), Roy (other knee issues), Arenas (more than 8 years ago)

[Rerisen]

Seems like Westbrook is the only comparable athlete that is an ultimate success story in looking the same.

IDK about Blake, he seems to play a more outside game nowadays, less poster dunks, and his rebounding is way down.

Guys like Lin don't really apply, never that athletic to begin with. Chis Paul obviously returned to being great after a bit of dip for a year, but moreso on the back of his vision and IQ, but he did lose some quickness and scoring ability.

Bledsoe has about the same stats, can't speak to his athleticism being the same, without watching him every game.

Of course none of them also had an ACL and then another previous Meniscus tear.

I think the bigger question is not so much is this Meniscus the final straw for Derrick, but was he ever going to get back to being the same even prior to it happening. We have no idea, but it was going slow. This just makes the hurdle that much bigger.

[bearadonisdna]

So according to the WT, drose is getting it repaired not removed?

[chrispatrick]

So according to the WT, drose is getting it repaired not removed?

Looks like a poorly worded title that doesn't appreciate the difference between "repair" and "remove"

[dice]

Seems like Westbrook is the only comparable athlete that is an ultimate success story in looking the same.

IDK about Blake, he seems to play a more outside game nowadays, less poster dunks, and his rebounding is way down.

that didn't happen in the immediate aftermath of the "comeback" though

[conker1]

For Westbrook, I know that they tried to repair the meniscus first; but after the complications, the story of the loose stitch... do we know what they did ?

Basically, does he have a repaired meniscus or did they remove a part ?

[Rerisen]

Seems like Westbrook is the only comparable athlete that is an ultimate success story in looking the same.

IDK about Blake, he seems to play a more outside game nowadays, less poster dunks, and his rebounding is way down.

that didn't happen in the immediate aftermath of the "comeback" though

True. But maybe still an effect, of say shortening his athletic peak.

Wade was still a superstar after his was removed, but didn't look the same athletically by about 29.

[dumbell78]

Had no idea about Blake, both knees too. Eric Bledsoe recovery is what Im looking for to be quite honest.

[stepbackjftw]

doug mcdermott has the same surgeon that derrick rose had for his knee surgery.

RIP doug's career

[Mobby]

doug mcdermott has the same surgeon that derrick rose had for his knee surgery.

RIP doug's career

=/

[TimRobbins]

MWP came back after two weeks, but he was a shell of his former self ever since. He was dumb to try to come back that quickly.

Lin couldn't come back before 8 weeks.

6 weeks would be border-line for Rose's return.

[ropjhk]

You should include Rose's previous meniscus tear on the list.

[CalilLove89]

You should include Rose's previous meniscus tear on the list.

Sick burn.