Two of the NBA’s best players — Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton — are in the middle of very long journeys back to the court from Achilles tears. According to an expert on the injury, both of their recoveries will benefit greatly from their age. But there is still a key concern that will factor into whether they can really return to being the All-Stars they previously were.
Last season, there was a shocking amount of Achilles and ACL tears. During the regular season, James Wiseman, Isaiah Jackson, Dejounte Murray, and NBA great Kyrie Irving were among the players who suffered serious tendon injuries. Then, in the playoffs, future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, Tatum, and Haliburton had their Achilles tendons snapped during games. The Indiana Pacers star incurred his injury at the worst possible time in the NBA Finals.
All of those players have lengthy roads back to returning to the court. However, for those players in their 20s, they have a better chance to get back to being the player they once were than their older contemporaries, according to University of Delaware Professor of Physical Therapy and expert in such injuries, Karin Gravare Silbernagel.
Age will benefit Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton’s recovery from Achilles tears
jayson tatum
Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
“Age is a strong predictor of outcome after Achilles tendon rupture, and we are currently seeing younger athletes having ruptures. So if they are younger, the potential for better recovery is better… and with age comes greater chances of tendon overuse,” Dr. Silbernagel tells Sportsnaut.
Hailburton and Tatum, being 25 and 27 years old, respectively, will be a big advantage in their ability to fully bounce back from such a devastating injury. However, Dr. Silbernagel does admit an athlete doesn’t need to be in their 20s to have the best chance to fully recover, and that players “in their early 30s are in the younger range of ruptures as well.”
Irving and Lillard are 33 and 35 years old, respectively. So they are right in that area where it can go either way for them. However, she added, “With age, there are more competitive years and a likelihood of other injuries that might affect the recovery and function.” This means the road back for the pair of future Hall of Famers will be tougher than the young NBA stars.
What could stop Haliburton and Tatum from returning to the players they were before?
tyrese haliburton
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
While age can be a benefit for an athlete recovering from an ACL or Achilles tear, they both face the same issue that could stop them from getting back to the players they once were. And Dr. Silbernagel warns that tendon elongation. Sometimes, when recovering from a major ligament rupture or tear, the tendon is elongated after healing. This often leads to permanent weakness in the ligament, and that will halt an athlete from returing to the level they had before the injury.
But Dr. Silbernagel admits the surgical and rehab processes have gotten far better in recent years to avoid the perils of elongation after a rupture/tear.
“We have also learned that tendon elongation is a concern for recovery of function, and treatments and surgeries are addressing this concern now,” she says. “Treatments for both surgical and non-surgical treatments and rehabilitation have also developed over the years and are better at ensuring proper load during rehabilitation to minimize muscle atrophy and tendon elongation while protecting the tendon during the recovery.”
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After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos