Expert Explains LeBron James Injury (left ankle), Timeline & Risks
Los Angeles Lakers injury expert Dr. Raj, DPT explains LeBron James Injury vs New Orleans Pelicans (left ankle) including the likely injury based on video review, the potential severity & return timeline scenarios, if it’s in any form similar to last season’s ankle injury and the risks of playing through it | Expert Explains LeBron James Injury (left ankle), Timeline & Risks | Los Angeles Lakers injury analysis For reference, I’m a DPT (Doctor of Physio), sports scientist, fitness coach, strength and conditioning specialist, movement and mechanics coach, researcher, youth basketball coach, mindfulness clinician and owner of 3CB Performance —providing sports medicine & sports performance services virtually and in-person at clinics in West LA and Valencia, CA. Feel free to hit me with questions and/or you can always find me on my website or follow on social media: Patreon: / 3cbperformance Website: https://www.3cbperformance.com/ Twitter: / 3cbperformance Instagram: / 3cbperformance Here’s a table of contents: 0:00 What happened 0:32 Video Review 0:51 Severity & Timeline 1:21 Like last season’s injury? 1:30 Risks of playing through 1:54 Stay tuned for more updates Script: Hey it’s Raj from 3CB. Lakers’ superstar LeBron James turned his left ankle vs the New Orleans Pelicans and even though he was able to play on - which almost assuredly rules out a fracture - was clearly limited in the 2nd half - missing his normal burst on both ends of the floor. Following the game, LeBron walked gingerly into his post-game presser with a wrap on the ankle and said “it felt horrible.” He’s now listed as doubtful for the Mavericks game. So what is the injury & how bad could it be? Video review Based on video review, this is very likely a left ankle inversion sprain that stresses the outer (lateral) ankle ligaments. Severity & Timeline These injuries can evolve quickly in the early days and the diagnosis is based on multiple factors including swelling, pain, loss of function, manual testing, and imaging. There’s 3 grades of severity with grade 1 typically 7-10 days but you can push it for a day to day return, a grade 2 which is typically 3-4 weeks, and a grade 3 full rupture which averages 4-6 weeks. LeBron’s injury resilience is uncanny - a testament to the work and preparation he puts in - so he will push the pedal on any of those timelines, especially at this part of the season. Considering he wasn’t ruled out vs the Mavericks but he had significant soreness afterwards, I’d venture this is a higher grade 1 injury. Is this like last year’s ankle sprain? You might be wondering if this is like last season’s ankle injury. It’s not - that was a high ankle sprain which rolled in the opposite direction with rotation. Risks of playing through? There are certainly risks which include flaring up the ankle soreness into persistent discomfort, compensatory injury to other areas - especially since he’s now dealing with both the ankle and knee on the left side - and most significantly, a chance for turning the ankle again. All in all, LeBron and his trainer Mike Mancias know his capacity extremely well and will make the responsible call. The way they’ve managed the knee soreness is a testament to that. I’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
