In Devastating Championship Game 7 Injury, Indiana Pacers’ Star Tyrese Halliburton Tears Achilles, Likely Out All Of Next Season Too
from Hackensack Meridian Health Orthopedists
He propelled the Indiana Pacers to the brink of an NBA Championship, but the team came up short in Game 7, after Tyrese Haliburton suffered a season ending achilles injury early in the game. Monday, the Pacers confirmed their star point guard suffered a torn achilles tendon and is undergoing surgery to repair it.
Although the NBA season is over, it is possible Haliburton may miss a significant portion of next season as well. Haliburton expressed disappointment on of how his season came to an end on social media. “Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends?,” Haliburton said.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Achilles tendon tear repair – surgery or no surgery, and if surgery is chosen, which type to have. A traditional surgical repair is performed through an ¾ of an inch incision, but because of where the incision is located this can be sensitive and cause difficulty healing.
Today, more surgeons and patients opt for smaller incisions or port holes, which allow the physician to access the tendon and sew it back together without the larger incision site, typically allowing for an easier recovery. With either surgery, the healing process is about six months to a year and requires walking in a boot.
The non-surgical option involves being placed into a cast, splint, or a boot with the toes pointed down. Having the toes pointed down allows the tendon edges to get closer together to help healing. This is likely the less chosen path for a professional athlete, especially one looking to get back on the court.
Haliburton likely had a speed bridge procedure, which was intended to expedite the recovery process. Typically an achilles repair is done by using heavy stitches to sew the achilles together side to side. For the average person this means immobilizing the ankle in a cast. “With this procedure a patient is in a cast for four to six weeks, before they transition to a walking boot,” Rocco Bassora, M.D., orthopedic sports medicine physician at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center. “Typically it means it takes time for patients to regain strength and range of motion.”
“With a speed bridge procedure instead of the side to side stitching, the repair is sutured into the heel, for a stronger repair. It doesn’t require a cast and patients can begin bearing weight on it sooner, allowing patients to prevent losing their range of motion,” Bassora explains.
The average person can return to their normal activities within four to five months, but for an elite athlete like Tyrese Haliburton the timeline is longer. “The level of game for Haliburton or an elite athlete like him puts greater pressure on the tendon than the average weekend warrior,” Stephen Silver, M.D., chair of sports medicine and orthopedics at Hackensack University Medical Center says. “For someone to come back at the caliber of an NBA player takes nine to twelve months for the muscles to regain their strength.”
Achilles tear injuries are common in the NBA, three players suffered them in the playoffs alone. Haliburton was previously playing through a calf muscle strain, which likely increased his chances for the achilles tear. Athletes including Aaron Rogers and Kobe Bryant suffered Achilles tendon tears after playing through calf muscle strains.
Hackensack Meridian Health experts in orthopedics and sports medicine physicians are available to speak about Achilles tendon tears and the recovery from it.
Courtesy of Jessica Nussman
Jessica.Nussman@hmmn.org