Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 108 - 83: How’s Your Vertical Now?
For some reason, after Chen Yu arrived, almost all the star players from both the Eastern and Western Conferences came over to say hello. The more talkative ones would chat for a bit longer.
Chen Yu figured it might be because he was a team doctor—and an orthopedic specialist who could repair torn ligaments and menisci, at that.
’They’re all professional athletes. Who doesn’t get injured? If they ever do, they’ll have to come asking for my help.’
’Besides, I’m not a player competing for glory, so who would want to be on bad terms with a top-tier team doctor?’
’On the other hand, maybe it’s because I’m the head of the player health management department. If they get injured in the future, I’m the one who decides if they can get back on the court. So they’re just trying to get familiar with me ahead of time?’
"Huh, what’s wrong with your knee?" As Tim Duncan and David Robinson walked over to talk, Chen Yu’s gaze suddenly landed on Duncan’s right knee.
It had practically become a professional habit for Chen Yu. Whenever he met a professional player, he would subconsciously use the Eye of All-Seeing to take a quick look.
And as expected, practically none of the stars present had a completely healthy body. All of them bore the scars of various injuries and ailments.
But Duncan...
Chen Yu frowned slightly. ’When did this guy have his meniscus removed?’
Duncan was taken aback for a moment. He thought Chen Yu knew about his past surgery and had now spotted a problem with his knee. He said hurriedly, "Chen, my knee is fine. There’s nothing wrong with it at all."
’It would be a cruel joke if a single word from Chen Yu kept me from playing right before the game.’
Robinson, who was standing beside him, interjected, "He had surgery on his right knee last summer. They removed half of his meniscus."
Chen Yu had seen it, of course.
Most of the lateral meniscus in Duncan’s right knee had been removed.
The entire white zone, plus a portion of the transitional red-white zone, had been completely excised.
Normally, a meniscus is shaped like a thick crescent moon. But after the partial meniscectomy, Duncan’s had been reduced to a sliver, with only the outermost red zone left. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Of course, leaving this small portion still served a purpose, as it helped improve the joint’s stability.
However, with that piece of the white zone gone, his lateral femoral condyle would now grind directly against his tibia, increasing friction and damaging the cartilage.
Even now, the wear and tear on Duncan’s cartilage was quite severe.
And it wasn’t just the lateral side. Duncan’s medial meniscus had also been reshaped.
"How’s your vertical these days?" Chen Yu asked.
The question silenced Duncan. After a long pause, he replied dejectedly, "It’s all right, I guess."
He used to be a high-flyer, known for his explosive attacks on the rim. Now, it was like his shoes were glued to the floor.
"If only you had met me a year earlier," Chen Yu sighed.
’He had his surgery last summer, and at that time, I was just about to leave my hospital position.’
’If I had been the one to perform that surgery, I could have repaired his meniscus perfectly.’
’That’s what happened with Hardaway.’
But it was too late for all that now. The tissue had been removed; it couldn’t be conjured out of thin air.
It all came down to the same principle: you don’t remove a meniscus unless you absolutely have to. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.
Duncan scratched his head, not sure what Chen Yu meant.
It was Robinson who spoke up. "Chen, for someone like Tim, who’s had his meniscus removed... can it still be repaired?"
’I’m about to retire myself. The future of the Spurs belongs to Duncan.’
Robinson had watched with his own eyes as Duncan went from a player who could soar through the air to one who could only flounder around on the court.
’And Duncan is only 24... It’s such a waste.’
Chen Yu shook his head, but after a moment of hesitation, he added, "Come and see me during the off-season."
’It’s the middle of the season, so there’s nothing I can do right now anyway.’
Chen Yu’s mind turned to meniscus allograft transplantation. He had actually been wanting to see if he could pull one off.
He’d read in the medical literature that it was being done, but it was also one of the most difficult procedures in orthopedics.
There were two main challenges. The first was the donor tissue.
Just like fingerprints, no two menisci in the world are exactly alike. You can only find a close match. And while there are many organ donors, people who donate their menisci are incredibly rare.
Furthermore, after a donor’s death, you can’t immediately determine if their meniscus is a suitable match.
So, simply finding a suitable donor was a huge hurdle.
The surgical procedure itself was conceptually simple: clear out what’s left of the original meniscus, drill holes where the anterior and posterior horns used to be, fix the transplanted meniscus in place with sutures, and then sew the body of the new meniscus to the joint capsule.
This process led to the second major challenge.
The transplanted meniscus has no blood supply. It’s impossible to suture and reconnect the capillaries that were in the original red zone.
As a result, problems inevitably arise over time.
’But I have the System,’ Chen Yu thought. ’It made a blood supply grow in the white zone of Hardaway’s torn meniscus. Maybe it could stimulate a new blood supply in a transplanted one, keeping the allograft healthy.’
Because of this, Chen Yu had been considering finding a patient with a removed meniscus and severe arthritis to attempt a transplant.
’If it’s successful, then anyone who’s had a meniscectomy could be treated this way in the future.’
A flash of hope sparked in Duncan’s eyes, only to be extinguished just as quickly. He nodded and said, "Okay. We’ll talk about it in the summer."
He was a smart man. He knew that with the current state of medical science, there was no real solution for a removed meniscus, so he didn’t dare to get his hopes up.
After chatting for a little while longer, the Eastern and Western Conference teams began their joint practice session.
There wasn’t much to practice. They were all top-tier stars, and the All-Star Game was more of an exhibition match, so a casual run-through was all they needed.
Chen Yu’s job was easy: just watch the spectacle from the sidelines.
