Explained: Joel Embiid Injury (Lateral Meniscus) & "Day to Day" Status

NBA injury expert Dr. Raj, DPT explains Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid injury (small lateral meniscus tear), the good news about what we’ve heard so far (including if it can get worse), the bad news about playing with the injury, and how the Sixers physio and training staff will manage it on a day to day basis to evaluate Embiid’s status moving forward | Explained: Joel Embiid Injury (Lateral Meniscus) & "Day to Day" Status | NBA injury breakdown

For reference, I’m a DPT (Doctor of Physio), youth basketball coach, sports scientist, movement expert, researcher, mindfulness enthusiast and owner of 3CB Performance —providing sports medicine, performance, and mindfulness services online and in-person at clinics in West LA and Valencia, CA.

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Here’s a table of contents:
- 0:00 What happened
- 0:15 The good news
- 0:46 The bad news
- 1:07 “Day to day status”
- 1:22 The Upshot
- 1:46 Outro

Script:

Welcome it’s Raj from 3CB.

The Philadelphia 76ers released an injury update on center Joel Embiid, with the player diagnosed with a  lateral (outer) meniscus tear of the knee and although ruled out for game 5, he’s “day to day”. Shams further updated that it’s a small tear.

The good news here is that the type, location, and severity of the tear is such that it’s likely not causing red flag functional limitations - for example, some tears can cause the knee joint to mechanically lock up - and there’s liekly not a high risk of it getting worse by playing.

In those cases, surgery is typically required straight off which comes with a 4-6 week return timeline for a partial trim (meniscectomy) and 3+ months for a lateral meniscus repair.

The bad news here is that even slight meniscus tears can be highly irritable and sensitive. Joel could be feeling pretty good but then have a certain movement that irritates the tissue and flares up the knee. Further, the lateral (outer) meniscus takes on more stress due to knee biomechanics so that’s another confounder.

The “day to day” status means the physio and training staff will be assessing, treating, testing, and and then reassessing Joel on a daily basis. The goal is to reduce pain and swelling while maintaining range of motion, strength, mechanics, and functionality.

It’s certainly possible that we don’t find out the full severity until after the playoffs and numerous players who have played through a meniscus tear in the short-term have ended up getting surgery after the season’s end.

Only time will tell with that but in the meantime, Embiid’s status will truly be a day to day assessment and seeing how he responds to treatment and activity. The Sixers will have to walk a fine tightrope of risk/reward.

Видео Explained: Joel Embiid Injury (Lateral Meniscus) & "Day to Day" Status канала 3CB Performance