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

Understanding Paul George’s Elbow UCL Sprain

While COVID ravages the NBA sending players league wide into health and safety protocols, a notable injury unrelated to the virus has occurred. The Clippers announced Paul George will miss at least three weeks after it was discovered he suffered a ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow. He missed five games earlier in the month with the injury but the pain persisted, leading to additional testing.

UCL tears are relatively uncommon in basketball but have been covered multiple times on InStreetClothes.com, including during the 2017-18 season when George’s current teammate Nicolas Batum sustained the injury while with Charlotte.

The UCL sits on medial (inside area) of the elbow. UCL injuries are a common occurrence in Major League Baseball, particularly with pitchers. The procedure known as Tommy John surgery is utilized to reconstruct the ligament. The location of the UCL makes it vulnerable with overhead motion, which is why pitchers are so susceptible to the injury. However, this motion is not a normal motion for basketball player, contributing to the low frequency in the NBA. Notable NBA players to suffer the injury include Batum, Evan Fournier, Andrea Bargnani, and Jimmy Butler.

The average number of missed games for confirmed UCL sprains in the NBA is about 20 games. The number shrinks to 13 games (~28 days) for players that reported Grade 2 (partial tear) sprains. Butler, who suffered a Grade 2 sprain with bone impaction, made the quickest recovery, returning in 11 games (22 days) during the 2014-15 season. Surgery was not needed in any of the examined cases.

The initial timeline of three-to-four weeks provided by the Clippers is in line with the historical data, meaning George has a chance to be back well before the All-Star break. For now the Clippers will be forced to navigate the next few weeks without George and Kawhi Leonard, who remains sidelined after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee.