All the possibilities Knicks’ vague OG Anunoby injury designation opens up

MIAMI — OG Anunoby’s new diagnosis is vague and “generic,” but at first glance, “elbow tendinopathy” shouldn’t be too concerning, according to two surgeons who spoke to the Post.

After saying Anunoby missed the previous seven games due to “injury management,” the Knicks changed the designation Monday to “right elbow tendinopathy.”

The team did not specify which tendon.

“It’s just a very generic term. You don’t know if it’s tennis elbow, which would be tendinopathy on the outside of the elbow, you don’t know if it’s tendinopathy on the inside of the elbow, which which would be golfer’s elbow,” said Dr. Andrew S. Rokito. , chief of the division of shoulder and elbow surgery at NYU Langone Orthopedics. “It could be the triceps tendon, the biceps tendon. Tendinopathy simply means – literally translated – inflammation of the tendon. There are a lot of tendons around the elbow.

Tennis elbow is the most common elbow tendinopathy and is treated like any other – with conservative measures like rest, anti-inflammatories, stretching, physiotherapy, etc.

If that doesn’t work, a cortisone or PRP injection could be the next step, surgeons said.

The Knicks have not revealed whether Anunoby received an injection.

“Ninety percent of the time you can get improvement conservatively,” said Dr. Salil Gupta, a clinical assistant professor at NYU.

Although elbow tendinopathy is not a common reaction to the arthroscopic surgery Anunoby underwent in early February, Gupta said he wasn’t surprised.

“If during the recovery process after surgery or his return to play, he did something that injured those muscles and tendons or if he overused them and now they become sore, it’s going to hurt him. “Whenever you do anything with strength and force,” Gupta said, “because the tendon itself is not happy.”

Gupta added that the diagnosis doesn’t present any red flags — “it’s not a major concern that something is more structurally damaged — but, as Rokito noted, “elbow tendinopathy” is difficult to diagnose. analyze.

“It’s very, very vague,” Gupta said. “They don’t tell you much.”

Is elbow tendinopathy too painful to play?

“It really depends on his symptoms,” Gupta said. “So if it’s mild you can play on it, as long as the pain doesn’t get worse it’s not serious. But sometimes it can be very painful. It can be painful while simple tasks like Lifting a cup of coffee can be intense pain. But other activities like lifting weights and working out don’t hurt, so it really depends on when and how you use the muscles that are causing the pain.

Anunobdy missed his eighth straight game Tuesday after his surgically repaired elbow “fired up,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.

This was preceded by a game in Portland where Anunoby was visibly uncomfortable and holding his elbow. The Knicks downplayed it at the time.

Before the surgery, Anunoby had missed 18 consecutive games with an injury that was first described by the Knicks as simple “elbow inflammation.”

This was eventually changed to “bone spur irritation.”

He has missed 27 of 44 games since being traded from the Raptors to the Knicks.

Earlier this season, while still in Toronto, Anunoby missed three games with a lacerated finger.

He suffered the cut while doing household chores, according to the team.

Anunoby also missed one game this season with leg cramps.

The 26-year-old could become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and league insiders believe he’s in line for a four-year, $160 million deal.

He is expected to decline his $20 million player option for next season.