Just 15 months after Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee keeping him out of the game for most of a season the point guard and his team face another decision between two likely surgeries after he suffered a new tear.
lRelated Chicago BullsDerrick Rose has meniscus tear of right knee season in jeopardySee all relatedRemoving the torn cartilage would allow Rose to return in as little as six weeks but carries longer term risks while repairing the tear would keep him off the court for the rest of the season Chicago orthopedic surgeons said.
The surgeons said the decision will depend partly on the size and type of the tear a detail a Bulls spokesman said the team doesn't plan to announce Wednesday. The Bulls announced late Tuesday that an MRI exam had confirmed a medial meniscus tear in Rose's right knee that will require surgery.
After Rose tore his medial meniscus in November 2013 team physician Brian Cole repaired the cartilage instead of removing it. The procedure requires at least six months of recovery time but after the meniscus heals the cartilage protects the knee joint better than if a piece of it had been removed said University of Chicago orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sherwin Ho.
It's a big deal said Ho a team physician for the U.S. Olympic volleyball team and a former team physician for the Chicago Blackhawks. You're saying the season's done. But for a young athlete that's going to put a lot of hard miles on that knee it's the right decision.
Recovering from surgery to remove a piece of the meniscus takes less time at least six weeks Ho said but could affect Rose's performance after he returns.
The worse the cartilage damage the deeper it is and the more meniscus you take out the more symptoms you'll have when you go back to play Ho said. The more pain the more swelling the more time you'll have to sit out.
Removing the material can expose the joint surface known as articular cartilage and damage to that surface can lead to arthritis Ho said.
Ho also said that repairing a torn meniscus is an option only about 20 percent of the time. If Rose's meniscus is torn in the same place it was last time a likely scenario Ho said a repair would be more difficult than if it were torn somewhere else.
More often than not if it's in the same meniscus in the same place we typically would remove that torn meniscus he said.
Meniscus injuries are not uncommon said Ho and Dr. Jason Koh an orthopedic surgeon at NorthShore Orthopaedic Institute but people tend to pay more attention when it happens to a star player.
Rose's dynamic style of play combined with the amount of time he spends on the court likely increases his likelihood of an injury they said.
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