Joel Embiid’s case for back-to-back MVPs has been put on hold.
Embiid has reportedly been diagnosed with a displaced meniscus flap in his left knee, causing the 76ers star to weigh his options between rest and rehab or surgery. by The Athletic.
The injury represents a major blow to a Philadelphia team looking to get over the hump and return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. The reigning MVP has continued his streak as arguably the most dominant player in the NBA, with a league average. -Leading 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
Just two weeks ago, he turned in the best performance of his career, exploding for 70 points to become the ninth player in NBA history to reach that milestone. Now, he will sit on the sidelines indefinitely in hopes of making the postseason in April.
For more on Embiid’s injury, the recovery time for a meniscus injury in the NBA and the difference between a “displaced flap” and a tear, The Jugo Mobile has you covered below.
Details of Joel Embiid’s injury
Embiid suffered a “displaced meniscus flap” in his left knee during the 76ers’ game against the Warriors on January 30. The Athletic reported.
Embiid was favoring his already injured left knee all night, but things went from bad to worse in the fourth quarter when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg diving for a loose ball.
Joel Embiid heads to the locker room after Jonathan Kuminga falls on him
I hope it’s okay ? pic.twitter.com/iZysg8pULR– Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 31, 2024
Embiid missed several games due to left knee soreness in January, notably a matchup against Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets two games before his meniscus injury.
Embiid’s absence from the marquee matchup caused an uproar among NBA fans and media, including accusations that Embiid ducked the head-to-head matchup between the league’s two best bigs. On top of that, Embiid had already missed 12 of the 76ers’ 45 games, putting him up against the NBA’s new 65-game minimum to be eligible for end-of-season awards.
Perhaps influenced by pressure to maintain eligibility in the MVP race or by outside noise about his absences in important games, Embiid tried to play through the injury against the Warriors and only made things worse.
Now Philadelphia will be without its superstar for the foreseeable future.
What is a displaced meniscus flap?
The wording of The Athletic’s report caused some confusion. The report referred to Embiid’s injury as a “displaced meniscus flap.”
In one understandable definition, a meniscus flap tear is “an unusual tear pattern.” according to Dr. Jonathan Cluett of Verywell Health. “Some of the cartilage breaks away and can get stuck in the joint, causing it to ‘catch’ or lock.
“If the flap causes the knee to lock, a surgeon can usually fix it without removing much tissue.”
Dr. Brian Sutterer, who specializes in sports medicine, was quick to cite Shams Charania’s report on X, formerly known as Twitter. “A displaced flap is a tear,” she wrote, adding: “If you tell a sports doctor that someone has a ‘displaced flap,’ those are words we often use to describe something that needs surgery.”
Jeff Stotts, certified athletic trainer, aggregate that a flap tear “is most commonly treated with a partial menisectomy”; in other words, removal surgery.
Torn meniscus recovery time in the NBA
Meniscus tears are not uncommon in the NBA, but recovery time varies depending on the location and severity of the tear.
This is already Embiid’s third meniscus tear in his career. He suffered a torn left meniscus in 2017 and a partially torn right meniscus in 2021.
In 2017, Embiid missed the final 37 games of the regular season. after surgery for partial removal, but there was also no incentive to rush him back with the 76ers close to last place. In 2021, Embiid suffered the injury during the NBA Playoffs, only missing one game and did not need surgery in the low season.
Several current NBA superstars have suffered the same injury, including Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and Zion Williamson. The five players had different recovery times.
Butler suffered a partial meniscus tear in his right knee in 2018. He missed 17 games and eventually returned to close out the season and compete in the playoffs.
Leonard suffered a torn right meniscus in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. After a “cleaning procedure” in the off-seasonHe was ready for opening night and has returned to playing at an All-Star level.
Paul suffered a torn left meniscus in 2010. He underwent surgery for a meniscus repairHe missed two months of action (25 games) and returned to the field.
Rose’s example is unparalleled, as he underwent multiple meniscus surgeries throughout his career, in addition to a torn left ACL injury.
Williamson’s NBA career began with a lateral meniscus tear in 2019. intervened and missed the first three months (44 games) of his rookie season.
Difference between meniscus surgery and removal
In 2019, Stotts ruptured Williamson’s lateral meniscus tear and the difference between surgery and meniscus removal.
This is what Stotts had to say about it:
Meniscus surgeries can be divided into two basic types: repairs and removals. Determining which route to take depends on the location of the injury and the type of tear that occurred. …
A meniscectomy or removal is the more common of the two procedures and is usually accompanied by a shorter recovery period. After a meniscectomy, players typically return to activity within six weeks. Games missed due to meniscus injuries among NBA players do not depend on which meniscus is damaged. However, rapid recovery is not without consequences, as removals raise the risk of long-term problems such as osteoarthritis and other complications such as cysts.
In contrast, an arthroscopic meniscus repair has better long-term results, although recovery time after surgery is usually much longer. Recovery after a repair is often measured in months, not weeks.
