If you're so inclined: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/394270-overview http://www.joint-pain-expert.net/patella-fracture.html http://www.wheelessonline.com/ortho/fractures_of_the_patella http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~elddhQ/OH.ZAXa http://www.physioroom.com/injuries/knee/patella_fracture_full.php
give it to me straight. Out for the season sure, but will he come back 100%? I think he will and my chart readings say he should beast it next year, but I don't want to wade through a bunch of medical sites.
Thanks, that was pretty enlightening. I wonder how having wires, pins, and screws aligning the patella will affect his athleticism. Also, padding might be necessary for the rest of his career. I wonder the extent of Oden's fracture, though. It would reveal a lot about his recovery time, and possible full regaining of motion.
A couple of those sites said 6 weeks immobilization after surgery, at least. Then about twice as long rehabbing. Again, all this depends on the extent of fracture. If they already put out a "out for the year" claim, it's probably safe to assume he's gonna be out for the year.
"In some instances a forceful contraction of the Quadriceps muscles can be enough to cause a fracture of the patella. This causes a horizontal crack across the knee cap, which makes it impossible for the patient to straighten their knee." No idea at all if this is what happened, but it is one example of how a knee cap can fracture without contact.
I'm not a doctor nor have I sustained this injury, so my opinion on this matter wouldn't be worth anything.
If it is just bone damage, not ligament damage, as the initial reports claim, then he should be back at full strength. Ligaments that tear are forever weakened, but bones knit back stronger than before. That's what I've read in the past. It may sound overly optimistic to say that I still don't think Oden's career is in danger, but the thing is...he isn't suffering one ligament tear after another, which would indicate an athletic career spiraling the drain. The microfracture was just a precautionary measure for the future and this is essentially a bone break. As serious injuries go, these are the sorts to get. I think it's more akin to Michael Jordan breaking his leg in his second season (in terms of injury, I'm not comparing Oden's talent to Jordan's) than it is to the kind of knee injuries that end or alter careers.
