NBA Health Check: The Injuries & Medical Issues Affecting Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose & Carmelo Anthony.

Recently a few of the NBA’s popular ballers are facing very serious body injuries and health concerns, derailing and cutting their season short. Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks are either on bed rest or have their doctors on speed dial.
As fans wonder what their diagnoses mean for their careers, i am offering a health check on what the injuries entail for their well-beings.

Thank you for all the messages, love, and support. It has truly lifted my spirits through this tough process. #Heatnation #Iwillbebacksoon #Boshfamily

A photo posted by Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) on Feb 21, 2015 at 7:19pm PST

CHRIS BOSH

INJURY: During the weekend of the 2015 NBA All-Star game, Bosh voiced that he was feeling sick. The Heat forward/center had his suspicions confirmed when the following weekend his doctor discovered blood clots forming in his lungs.

The scientific term for his condition is Pulmonary Embolism. It occurs when a deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is broken and immediately travels to membranes of the lungs. The arteries are then clogged because platelets, red blood cells and vessels collide and the exchange of bodily fluids halted. So on top of feeling sick, Bosh experienced chest pains and respiratory episodes.

Since the announcement of his prognosis, Bosh has reported from his hospital bed, informing us that he is doing good! He’s staying at the Baptist Health System Hospital, being treated by a Heat physician.

WHAT THIS MEANS: It can be life-threatening, but most patients make it out just fine. A major point of the procedures is the thinning of the blood (term: Anticoagulants) through injection. As blood is thick with all the above components stuck in one place, injections help to speed up the clot destruction. Technical surgeries are often rare but can be done if necessary.

CAREER: Born in Dallas, Texas in 1984, Bosh’s been in the NBA since being drafted in 2030. He left Georgia Tech University where he was the star of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and played for the Toronto Raptors before joining the Miami Heat. He’s won two NBA Championships (in 2012 and 2013), is a ten-time All-Star, has won two bronze medals at FIBA and an Olympic gold medal for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer games.

FUN FACT: He stands at a staggering 6’11!

                                                       DERRICK ROSE

INJURY: After sportscasters gave Rose a hard time for some rough games, it was confirmed via a MRM test that the point guard was off-kilter because of a torn meniscus in his right knee.

A torn meniscus is not that uncommon as an athlete, and is one of the less complicated injuries to explain. It is when the meniscus, or menisci (in plural), has been twisted or over-stretched abruptly, resulting in breakage. The meniscus is a rubber-like, C-shaped cartilage that resides on the sides of the bones that make up the knee. What happened to Rose was that when his cartilage tore, the broken pieces entered the actual joint area of the leg, causing the knee to move incorrectly and eventually become stiff.

To fix it, as this also happens in everyday instances as getting in and out of a car or lifting a box, the torn pieces have to be surgically removed. After that, it’s recommended to practice quadriceps exercises, to strengthen the knee back.

WHAT THIS MEANS: Rose just had an injury this last November in the same knee, so news of a second one was disappointing to the sports world. He likely won’t return in time for the end of the season and will be back and ready to play come fall.

CAREER: Rose was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. He was a University of Memphis undergrad, with only one year of playing in the NCAA Championships before being drafted by the NBA in 2008. His nascent in basketball is impressive as he won Rookie of the Year in 2008, is a 3-time All-Star and at 22-years-old, became the youngest NBA MVP, in 2011. So far in his career, he’s only played for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.

FUN FACT: He has a baby boy named after him, Derrick, Jr.

                                               CARMELO ANTHONY

INJURY: NY sports writers reported that Anthony had played a majority of this current NBA season with a “partial tear” in the patellar tendon in his left knee. In mid-February, because of the fracture, it was determined he’d be sidelined for 4-6 months.

The patellar tendon is the muscle in front of the kneecap (patella) that works in conjunction with the quadriceps of the thigh to straighten the leg. Tears occur when active and in fast and sudden motion. Once broken, further stress is placed on the joints and muscles to make up for the haphazard connection and cramps became more frequent.

WHAT THIS MEANS: An orthopedic doctor fixes these kind of cases and patients often wear a knee brace and participate in physical therapy.

Anthony definitely stretched his injury to its limit as he last played in the recent NBA All-Star game, but Knicks president Phil Jackson announced in a press conference that the small forward would be out for the rest of the season.

CAREER: Anthony was born and raised in the neighborhood of Red Hook in Brooklyn in 1984. His family moved to Baltimore when he was eight and he honed his basketball skills there. Nearly recruited straight out of high school, he did get to play in the 2003 NCAA as a Syracuse University student and was officially drafted in the NBA the same year for the Denver Nuggets. Now a NY Knick, he’s an 8-time All-Star, 2006’s USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year, and has won 2 Olympic gold medals from the 2008 and 2012 games, and a bronze from the 2004 games. Syracuse retired his number 15 jersey.

FUN FACT: He’s donated over $4 million to various charities including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief efforts and a cool $3 million to alma mater Syracuse.