Tag Archives: MRI

Mar 10 2:18 PM EDT

Fantasy Alert: Timberwolves PG, Ricky Rubio feared out for the season (knee), injury video

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Minnesota Timerwolves PG, Ricky Rubio appears to have hyper-extended the left knee in an attempt to double-team Kobe Bryant in last night’s game.  Fears linger at a possible ACL tear.  An MRI for the knee is scheduled for Saturday, March 10th, 2012 to rule out a fracture and confirm, if there is any soft tissue damage.  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is probably the most accurate test for diagnosing a torn ACL without actually looking into the knee.   In an acute (sudden) injury, the swelling is a good indicator too.  A good rule of thumb that ortho surgeons use is that any tense swelling that occurs within two hours of a knee injury usually represents blood in the joint, or a hemarthrosis.  If the swelling occurs the next day, the fluid is probably from the inflammatory response.

Aspirating(or draining as much fluid as possible) gives relief from the swelling and provides useful information to your doctor. If blood is found when draining the knee, there is about a 70 percent chance it represents a torn ACL. This fluid can also show if the cartilage on the surface of the knee joint was injured.  A doctor can determine how badly the ACL was injured and whether other knee ligaments or joint cartilage were injured too.  If Rubio get surgery, he will probably be involved in a progressive rehabilitation program for four to six months after surgery to ensure the best results.  This is a big blow for fans and fantasy owners alike.

In other Minnesota news, Center, Nikola Pekovic (ankle) returned to action Friday against the Lakers, scoring 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting (9-of-10 from the foul line) with 13 rebounds and one steal in 40 minutes.  With starting Center, Kevin Love, currently OUT, due to back spasms and Pekovic getting more minutes on the floor, the injury to Ricky Rubio (knee) is a BIG concern because of the easy buckets Pekovic gets from him.  Rubio’s absence will really affect this team’s offensive numbers and fantasy league rosters in multiple CATS, therefore fantasy owners should continue to monitor Rubio for the remainder of the season.

Feb 01 8:54 PM EDT

Zach Randolph Injury Update: What the Latest MRI Results Can Tell You

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Fantasy owners are salivating at a chance to use Zach Randolph in their line-ups again or contemplating when to use Randolph as a potential “sell high” option.  He has been OUT with a MCL tear since Jan. 1st and is expected OUT for up to 8 weeks, this is a likely timeline for fantasy owners.  If Randolph is inactive for eight weeks from when the injury occurred, he will have missed 31 games. That would leave 31 games remaining on the regular-season schedule, starting March 2 at Toronto.

The Grizzlies initially thought it was a bruise, but confirmed later a “slight” tear.  “Slight” can be either a Grade 1 or 2 in measuring the severity of damage.  Grade 2 injury puts Randolph in a brace to heal for up to 6 weeks, limiting his range of motion during the recovery period.  Progression out of the brace depends on how bad the injury is,  Z-Bo’s pain and knee function.  He’s been OUT only 4 weeks now and had 2nd MRI completed today by medical staff.  MRI results were good, indicating that he’s healing.  Even though the results are good, Z-Bo more than likely will continue wearing the brace for another 2 weeks and even after will probably go back playing with the brace still on.

Fantasy owners will need to monitor Z-Bo’s conditioning at about 6 weeks since the brace was put on.  His rehab and conditioning should also begin, which is key because he’ll have to get back into shape and rehab the knee at the same time.  Even at 30 years of age, the team medical staff confirmed that Z-Bo was in great shape prior to the injury, so likely expect Z-Bo back in the line-up by March.