Understanding Lamarcus Aldridge’s Radial Collateral Ligament Tear

• Post By: Jeff Stotts
• Date: January 23, 2015
• Category: Break Down, NBA

LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to miss at least the next six weeks after a second MRI on his injured thumb revealed a torn radial collateral ligament (RCL). The All-Star forward has already been placed in a cast and will undergo surgery to repair the damage.

MRI confirms Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge has a radial collateral ligament tear in left thumb. He will undergo surgery; out for 6-8 weeks.

— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) January 23, 2015

InStreetClothes.com broke down the specifics on RCL tears earlier in the year when Lakers guard Nick Young suffered the same injury. However let’s do a quick review.  The thumb joint is made up of three bones, the proximal and distal phalanxes and the first metacarpal. The proximal phalanx attaches to the metacarpal bone, forming the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. The MCP is fortified by two ligaments, the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and the RCL. The UCL is the primary stabilizer and sits on the ulnar side of the thumb, near the webbing of the hand and pointer finger. The RCL is situated on the opposite side of the thumb. This positioning allows the ligament to prevent excessive side-to-side bending of the joint. Together the RCL and UCL provide stability when performing the pinching motion or attempting to grip an object.

Between the two, the UCL is more frequently sprained, because the force necessary to stress the area is more common in sports. However RCL injuries still do occur. The InStreetClothes.com database has three previously recorded cases of RCL injuries in the NBA, including Young, Penny Hardaway, and Clippers point guard Chris Paul. Paul’s injury occurred in 2012 and offseason surgery was performed after the Olympics. The official diagnosis of a RCL was not revealed at the time but Jason Quick of the Oregonian spoke with the surgeon who performed Paul’s injury and the involved ligament was confirmed.

In the surgery, the doctors can either suture the torn ligament back together or perform a reconstruction using a graft harvested from the tendon of a little-used muscle in the wrist known as the palmaris longus. The graft is simply anchored to the bone in the same location as the ligament. Some surgeons will utilzie surgical wire to add stability to the joint and provide a better environment for healing. Fortunately for Aldridge and the Blazers surgery has a high long-term success rate.

Once Aldridge has undergone the procedure he will casted or splinted for the next four weeks. During the time he will be able to maintain his conditioning and potentially perform limited basketball activities with his off-hand. Once the castis removed, the Blazers medical team he can begin his progressive rehab. The initial focus will be on regaining in lost range of motion, before moving onto strengthening exercises. In the final phase of rehab, Aldridge will begin to incorporate basketball-related activities. Aldridge will likely return to action wearing a splint or heavily taped but should be able to round to form quickly.

The initial timeline on Aldridge’s recovery has been set six to eight weeks. Young’s recovery lasted just over seven weeks and, like Aldridge, involved his shooting hand. Therefore the Blazers should expect their All-Star forward back in early March. However, as Yahoo’s Dan Divine points out, the schedule is anything but kind over the next few weeks and a drop in the standings seems likely.