PROTECT THE PAINT

Brandon Roy re-aggravated his hamstring injury during his return from a 12 game absence. After the Blazers acquired Marcus Camby to replenish their depleted frontcourt, things were starting to look good for salvaging the season, and making a push at deeper run in the playoffs.

Roy has stated today he will play on Friday, but should he?

Roy can play through pain, but rest is the only way to heal a hamstring. (Credit: picapp.com)

Now that Brandon Roy, the team’s heart and soul, faces the possibility of an extended absence, the Trail Blazers must have concerns about their chances finishing the season strong.

Roy didn’t sound optimistic (perhaps he was simply frustrated) regarding his injury, according to his statements available on blazersedge.com:

• Do you feel like this could be with you for the rest of the season?
• I think if this [pain] is with me the whole season then I don’t really have a shot at playing. This is bad. I don’t know. It’s something I have to talk to coach about. It’s to the point where I can’t play because it hurts too bad.
• Do you feel your season is in jeopardy?
• Yeah, I feel like that. I felt like that last night after practice, being on the bench. I talked to LaMarcus and he’s like ‘What do you do next?’ Me, I don’t know. I don’t know where to go. Two week stretches isn’t doing it. We don’t have that much longer in the season. I definitely feel like my season has been pretty messed up by this.
• Do you feel like this could be with you for the rest of the season?
• I think if this [pain] is with me the whole season then I don’t really have a shot at playing. This is bad. I don’t know. It’s something I have to talk to coach about. It’s to the point where I can’t play because it hurts too bad.
• Do you feel like things are set up now with Camby and you’re missing out?
• Yeah that’s something I definitely think about. We’ve got Camby. People expect me to play and I’m not able to. We still have a good team. With Marcus being able to come to this team we feel like we have a chance to make the playoffs. It’s tough for me, I’d like to be a part of it.

These are extremely alarming statements for Blazer fans. Apparently, Roy has contemplated shutting it down for as long as it takes to fully recover. Which can be a long period of time, I have discovered.

The bad news is that hamstring injuries, in general, take a longer time for the body to recover from. I decided to investigate this and found the following discouraging factors for Roy, courtesy of the University of Michigan and University of Iowa Health Care sites.

From the University of Michigan:

• How long will the effects last?
• The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous hamstring injury. Recovery time also depends on the severity of the injury. A mild hamstring strain may recover within a few weeks, whereas a severe injury may take 6 weeks or longer to recover. You need to stop doing the activities that cause pain until the muscle has healed. If you continue doing activities that cause pain, your symptoms will return and it will take longer to recover.
• When can I return to my normal activities?
• Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to your activities will be determined by how soon your hamstring recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your normal activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury.

From The University of Iowa Health Care:

• There are 3 degrees of strains:
  1.    A slight strain or pull results in a sore muscle the next day. Walking or slow jogging is not inhibited and recovery time is 1 to 2 weeks.
  2.    A hard strain or pull occurs while exercising, as in sprinting. The exercise must be stopped right away. The muscle is tender and aches, and bruises may develop 3 to 6 days later. Bending the knee, walking, and jogging are difficult and recovery takes 3 to 4 weeks.
  3.    The most serious hamstring strain produces such severe pain that the person may collapse. Walking is impossible. Severe bruising occurs in 3 to 4 days. Crutches may be needed for a week or two and recovery can take as much as 10 weeks. Seek medical care for severe strains.

Based on how Brandon Roy has missed 12 games over the period of a month, it is a safe assumption that Roy’s injury is not a Grade 1 strain.

Since Roy played 15 minutes last night against the Clippers, it rules out the severity level of a Grade 3 strain. So lets assume Roy is back to square one, with a Grade 2 strain.

According to the University of Iowa, the estimated recovery time for a Grade 2 strain is approximately 3-4 weeks, which is the exact amount of time Roy previously sat out.

However, the University of Michigan states that if you had previously injured the hamstring, and be it somewhat severe in nature (I consider a grade 2 strain somewhat severe), it can take up to “6 weeks or longer to recover.”

This means his injury and aggravation compounds his recovery time. Not good.

A six-week absence, or longer, would render Brandon Roy out of action until early April, or later. With Marcus Camby aboard, the Blazers might be able to make the playoff push.

After all, the Blazers have been resilient in pushing through countless injuries this season, so to their credit, this is somewhat realistic.

They currently rank 8th with New Orleans, Memphis, and Houston trailing 3-4 games behind. The bad news (yes, there is more)? Portland is 5-7 during the 12 games without Roy.

Hopefully Marcus Camby will make a difference, and the Blazers hold off for the 8th playoff spot until Roy recovers.

That is of course, if they can find a way to be more optimistic than Roy was last night.

Lets just hope that Roy decision to play Friday doesn’t send him down the path of nagging and recurring hamstring injuries that last longer than this year.

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