San Antonio Spurs All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge left the game against the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night after landing awkwardly while attempting to defend Rajon Rondo’s layup attempt in the first quarter of the game. He re-entered the game briefly before exiting with 7 minutes and 39 seconds left in the first half and did not return. The Spurs have announced that Aldridge has a sprained right ankle.
Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries and occurs when the ligaments which support the ankle stretch beyond their limits and tear. There is a range of severity among ankle sprains, depending on how badly the ligaments are torn.
Most sprains are Grade I sprains, where just a few fibers are torn. They can heal with rest and ice. Moderate ankle sprains are known as Grade II sprains, where more of the structure is damaged, but there still some ligament structure intact and the ankle is still stable. A Grade III sprain is a complete tear of the ligament.
Ankle sprains heal naturally over time. It’s not possible to categorize a sprain precisely into one of the three groups. One can get a sense of the severity of the sprain based on the amount of tenderness, swelling and bruising. A complete tear is diagnosed based on the ankle being loose on exam.
If part of the ligament is intact, it’s safe and even healthy to put weight on it and external support such as a brace, boot or cast is mostly for comfort. Sprains are common among basketball players. With the ankle supported by taping or bracing, it is often possible to return when the ankle is still healing and still sore. Given that LaMarcus returned to the game, it must be a relatively mild sprain that they tried to support.
According to league sources, there is no timetable for Aldridge’s return. If it’s just the ligaments and they are mostly intact, he can resume play when he is comfortable and mobile enough to be effective. Since return to play risks re-injury and could delay recovery, one strategy would be to keep him out of competition until a more advanced stage of healing, in preparation for the playoffs, for instance.
This article was made by Hunter McConnie and David Ring