Understanding Terrence Jones’ Pneumothorax

• Post By: Jeff Stotts
• Date: March 20, 2015
• Category: NBA, Understanding...

Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones has endured a tough season. He missed 41 games early in the season after suffering a peroneal nerve contusion in his right leg. Now, with the NBA playoffs on the horizon, Jones will miss additional time with a rib injury that included a partially collapsed lung.

The injury occurred when Kenneth Faried kneed Jones in the side while the two scrambled for a loose ball. The injury was initially classified as a rib injury though Jones was required to spend the night in a local hospital. Tests performed at the hospital revealed a pneumothorax.

The partially collapsed lung likely occurred in conjunction with the rib injury. The impact of the collision damaged the pleural cavity of the lung, causing the space outside the lung and the chest cavity to fill with air. This air creates the pneumothorax and collapses the lung. If blood fills into the space the injury is classified as a hemothorax.

The rate of recovery depends on the size of the pneumothorax. If it is large, than a chest tube to remove the air may be necessary. Other than that, time remains the best treatment option to let the lung and any other accompanying rib injuries heal. Fortunately for the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle is reporting Jones did not suffer a rib fracture.

Determining a specific time frame is difficult as the injury is uncommon in the NBA. The only recently reported case of a collapsed lung occurred during the 2008-09 season when Gerald Wallace was injured following a flagrant foul from Andrew Bynum. Wallace fractured his fifth rib and 30 to 40 percent of his left lung collapsed. He required a chest tube to drain the air from around the lung and missed seven games recovering.

Jones is currently expected to miss at least one week though a lengthier time off seems probable. The injury is just the latest setback for a Rockets team that has spent a majority of the season without the services of Jones and center Dwight Howard.