The New York Knicks forward has missed five games with an injury listed as elbow inflammation. However, a subtle change was made to the injury report on Wednesday that provides insight to the nature of the injury. On Wednesday’s report Anunoby was listed as OUT for their upcoming contest with the Dallas Mavericks due to Right Elbow; Bone Spur Irritation.
A bone spur, or osteophyte, is often the result of a repetitive motion that places an undue stress somewhere on the body. The constant friction can irritate a bone in the area and, over time, additional bone tissue is created to combat and manage the stress. The newly formed osteophyte then acts similarly to a doorstop, limiting range of motion and irritating the neighboring soft tissue structures like nerves, ligaments, or muscles. Additonally, as noted by my friend Dr. Brian Sutterer, a specific type of bone spurs known as an enthesophyte can develop at the insertion site of a tendon or ligament.
Bone spurs in the elbow are relatively common in professional baseball. The repetitive nature of pitching coupled with the excessive stress placed on and through the elbow that comes with throwing a baseball makes pitchers particularly vulnerable. Players like Jake Arrieta, Mike Foltynewicz, and Zack Britton have dealt with bone spurs in their elbow in recent seasons.
While bone spurs in the elbow are less common in the NBA, the repetitive motion of shooting a basketball can lead to the development of osteophyte(s) in the joint. Once the bone spur is present, conservative treatment can be utilized to address the accompanying symptoms connected to the issue. Athletes can play with the problem but often require routine maintenance and may report functional limitation. As a result, removing the problematic osteophyte via surgery is often utilized as the best long-term course of treatment. In the NBA, a majority of elbow debridements are carried out in the offseason to allow the time lost to be minimized.
Multiple players, including Carmelo Anthony, Wesley Matthews, and Paul Pierce, have undergone elbow debridements to remove bone spurs or loose bodies in their elbow. These surgeries were all performed in the offseason. In-season surgeries are less common though Joe Johnson managed to return in 19 days after undergoing an elbow debridement in the 2010-2011 season. Former Knick Bill Walker also underwent an elbow debridement mid-season but his recovery was longer as he missed 23 games (53 days).
Fortunately, Anunoby does not have a history of elbow problems and a return in the near future seems plausible. It is likely New York uses the next few days and the impending All-Star break to continue their current course of treatment with Anunoby in hopes of controlling his symptoms enough so that he can return to action. Surgery could be an option at some point down the road but it sounds like it is not currently being considered.
UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Anunoby has undergone surgery.