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In Street Clothes

Covering sports injuries from the perspective of a certified athletic trainer and backed by analytics.

Understanding Kevin Durant’s Rib Cartilage Fracture

With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson already nursing injuries, the Warriors road to a 4th straight Finals appearance got just a little bit harder with former league MVP Kevin Durant set to join his teammates on the sidelines.

Durant had been dealing with an injury initially reported as rib soreness after colliding with Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. However, the team revealed further testing revealed Durant has an incomplete rib fracture. However, the injury is a bit more complex as the break isn’t to bone itself but the associated connective cartilage.

InStreetClothes.com previously detailed this type of injury during the 2014-2015 NBA season when point guard Deron Williams suffered a comparable injury, but let’s re-examine the specifics.

The rib cage is compromised of 24 ribs (12 on each side), the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae of the spine, and a specialized type of connective tissue known as costal cartilage. The costal cartilage of ribs 1 through 7 allow these bones to attach directly to the manubrium and body of the sternum. Ribs 8 through 10, also known as the false ribs, connected to the costal cartilage of the ribs directly above them. The remaining two ribs, 11 and 12, do not attach to the sternum but remain in contact with the spine.

Most costal cartilage injuries occur to the upper ribs, generally closer to the chest. They occur more frequently in contact sports like the NFL or NHL but have occurred in the NBA with players like Williams, Lamar Odom, and Steve Blake all missing time with rib cartilage injuries.

Individuals that suffer rib injuries often report sharp pain following activity, particularly with breathing and trunk rotation. Occasionally, the sharp pain and discomfort can linger for several days after the initial injury occurred. To further complicate things, cartilage often needs more time to heal than bone.

For now the team plans on reevaluating Durant’s status in two weeks, a timeline that seems reasonable when looking at previous rib injuries in the NBA. The average missed time following an isolated rib injury is approximately 7 games (roughly two weeks). Costochondral injuries take a bit longer with recent cases of costochondral fractures forcing the individual to miss three to four weeks. For example, Williams missed 11 games following the cartilage fracture of his 12th rib.

 

Look for Durant to don some sort of protective padding when he is ultimately cleared to return to play. Numerous options are available, including a product made by McDavid and endorsed by NBA players including former Warriors forward Harrison Barnes.

Durant’s return could coincide with the eventual return of Thompson who will have his thumb fracture reexamined around the same time. The team is optimistic Curry will have already returned from an ankle sprain when the two are welcomed back. However, it will be interesting to see where Golden State sits in the standings when the All-Star trio is healthy. The team currently sits two games behind Houston for the top-seed in the Western Conference and could shift their focus to player health if the streaking Rockets widen that gap. The Warriors previous title runs have been fueled by sustained health, a factor that now suddenly lies in hands of the team’s highly respected medical staff.