The Blue Jay's playoff hopes were hurt when Devon Travis was diagnosed with a bone bruise.
He underwent a cortisone injection, but has not improved enough to play. These injuries which are increasingly diagnosed require a traumatic loading of the knee. In the isolated situation there is no structural damage. The knee will be swollen and painful with activity. Bone bruises are also frequently noted with ACL tears (80%) when the tibia (leg bone) subluxes and strikes the femur (thigh bone). Diagnosis can be suspected based on clinical exam and history, but requires an MRI for confirmation. That is why they were not known to exist before the mid 1980s.
In the common isolated situation there is little that can be done to speed recovery. Most physicians have felt that the recovery to full activities is 6 weeks, but in this study I published in 2000 we demonstrated different results. This was the first ever report of a series of isolated bone bruises. In this study published in the American Journal of Sports medicine it was shown that the average time to recovery and full normal activities was 3.1 months. This was much longer than health care professionals had previously thought it took for recovery. This has ended up as very helpful information in advising athletes, coaches and general managers as to the timeframe for their recovery from these injuries. You can read the entire study
HERE
By report Bryce Harper sustained a bone bruise without any ligament damage. Good news, but recovery may still take time. Read our report on isolated bone bruise recovery which was the first study analyzing this in the medical literature. See it HERE. We showed average time to full activity was 3.1 months so reports the team feels he may miss the rest of the regular season are probably accurate.
Kevin Durant tore his MCL and sustained a bone bruise. What does that mean for him and the Golden State Warriors? The MCL or medial collateral ligament is a structure that runs from the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (leg bone) on the inside of the knee and provides side to side stability with sports and normal life activities. It is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee. Fortunately the injuries typically heal on their own with rest and protection of the damaged ligament. Their are 3 grades of tears. By report he sustained a Grade 2 sprain.As seen below Grade 1 sprains are mild stretches without ligament disruption. A Grade 2 is a partial tearing and a Grade 3 is a complete tear. With a Grade 2 tear it typically is 3-4 weeks for recovery for a basketball player. He will likely return in a brace to help protect the healing ligament and prevent additional injury. He also sustained a bone bruise which may add some time. Read my review of bone bruises HERE. With a little luck he could be back before the playoffs.
