Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis may again find himself on the sidelines in Game 3 of the NBA Finals after suffering a rare leg injury in Sunday’s matchup.
The team announced Tuesday that Porzingis suffered a “tear of the medial retinaculum, allowing for dislocation of the posterior tibial tendon” in his left leg. It is said that his condition is day to day.
Below we explain what the injury is:
The patellar retinaculum (the tissue surrounding the knee) is a structure that helps keep the kneecap in place and stable while it moves. It has two main parts: one on the inside (medial) and one on the outside (lateral) of the knee. These parts work together to prevent the kneecap from moving out of its proper position.
Then, the medial retinaculum tear forced Porzingis’ knee to shift from its proper location.
The posterior tibial tendon (PTT) is a thick cord of tissue that connects the calf muscle to the arch bones of the foot. The reason most describe the injury as “rare” is because the two are generally unrelated, but not in Porzingis’ case.
While there is no medical experience to support the following statements, some reasons for the connection could include impaired movement or increased tension in the PTT.
Due to the instability in Porzingis’ knee after the tear, he may have changed his movement patterns to alleviate the pain, leading to a dislocation elsewhere. Alternatively, when the Celtics star’s body attempted to stabilize due to knee instability, the PTT (which helps support the arch of the foot and assists with foot movement) may have experienced increased stress, causing a possible dislocation.
