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Understanding CJ McCollum’s Pneumothorax

It’s been a rough season for the Portland Trail Blazers compounded by injuries to their star back court of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Lillard is currently out with a lingering abdominal tendinopathy and McCollum did not play in Monday’s loss to the Clippers due to a rib contusion.

Unfortunately, additional tests, including a CT scan, on the injured area revealed McCollum also suffered a pneumothorax, better known as a collapsed lung.

The impact of his collision in the Boston game resulted in damage to the the pleural cavity of his right lung. As result, the the space outside the lung and the chest cavity filled with air, creating the pneumothorax. In some cases, blood fills the space causing an injury known as a hemothorax.

As previously discussed here on InStreetClothes.com, the rate of recovery following a pneumothorax is linked to the size of the injury. If it is large, a chest tube may be necessary to remove the air.

A pneumothorax is more common in the NFL with players like Drew Brees and Rob Gronkowski sustaining the injury in recent seasons. While far less frequent in the NBA, there are several examples. During the 2008-09 season forward Gerald Wallace fractured his fifth rib which resulted in a collapsed lung. The injury was significant and required a chest tube to drain the air from around Wallace’s injured left lung. Houston big man Terrence Jones also suffered the combination of rib and lung injuries during the 2014-15 season. Neither player missed a considerable amount of time as Wallace was sidelined for seven games and Jones was back in six.

McCollum seems poised to miss at least a week or two recovering, leaving the Portland backcourt devoid of its normal star power. The well-regarded and top-ranked Blazers medical team will be tasked with assisting the duos’ recovery while keep the rest of the roster afloat.