LeBron James was diagnosed with a left groin strain on December 26th, 2018. (See muscle strain for more details). During a game against the Golden State Warriors, James hyperextended his leg and felt a pop. He had an MRI, which is not typical for this type of injury, but seems increasingly routine for athletes for unclear reasons. A muscle strain heals over time and any treatments for this kind of injury are intended for symptoms. The plan for return to play depends on comfort of the player.
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Chris Paul Hamstring Injury
Chris Paul, basketball star with the Houston Rockets, was diagnosed with a hamstring strain (partial muscle tear) on December 20th, 2018 (See strain for more details). The strain was described as grade 2, which is a moderate amount of muscle tearing without a complete tear.
Paul injured his hamstring after a quick cut. The planted foot causes stretching of a contracting muscle (referred to as an eccentric contraction), which tears some of the muscle fibers. Paul grabbed the back of his leg immediately. He had an MRI, which as we point out repeatedly on this site, is not particularly helpful and would not be done for the average person. It’s not entirely clear why nearly every injury in a professional athlete gets an MRI. It’s helpful to keep in mind the downsides of testing.
A muscle strain heals naturally, but can take some time. Treatments just alleviate symptoms and keep the muscle limber and conditioned. Paul will be reevaluated for potential return to play 2 weeks after the initial injury. The plan for return to play typically depends on the comfort and effectiveness of the player.
Rajon Rondo Hand Injury
Hand injuries have limited Rajon Rondo’s playing time for most of the current season. He fractured his long finger metacarpal on his right hand in November, had surgery for open reduction and internal fixation, and return to play 5 weeks later. Three games after his return in late December, Rondo sprained his right ring finger. He underwent surgery on December 28th, 2018. Finger injuries are extremely common in basketball and football.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton said that the amount of time that Rondo will be sidelined “depends on how he can handle the pain. So we’re kind of just taking it day by day right now to see where he wants to go with it, see how bad that hand is hurting. But he could be out for a while or he could be out for a couple days. It all just depends.” Reasons to avoid playing include risk of injury or ineffectiveness due to symptoms. Coach Walton seems to be referring to the latter. It’s unusual for teams to publicly discuss this sort of thing. And it’s unclear what role surgery would play in making things more comfortable. Surgery hurts and the repaired structure often needs more time to heal after surgery than it would with natural healing.
Surgery for ligament issues is relatively unusual in the hand. A ligament would need at least 4-6 weeks before an acceptable level of risk with basketball.