Minnesota Timberwolves Jimmy Butler Injury Discussion

Friday night, Timberwolves were visiting the Rockets. Jimmy Butler injured his right knee through a twisting motion after getting the loose ball. Before the reports confirmed, I thought it was going to an MCL or medial meniscus injury. But ESPN has confirmed it was his right medial meniscus and he did have surgery on is right knee.

Unable to bear weight, acute meniscus injuries occur due to a forceful twist in the knee. Sometimes you may hear pop, but immediate swelling occurs along with pain and stiffness in the knee.

Anatomy Review:

The meniscus acts as a shock absorber for the knee. It helps reduce the friction created by the knee joint and also helps to reduce the shock the knee undergoes when you do any sort of activity such as: running, jumping, cutting, or walking.

The meniscus does not have a rich blood supply. With only a few smaller arteries supply the outer rims of the meniscus, the central part of the meniscus does not get a great supply. The lack of blood supply, makes it a challenge for the meniscus to heal on its own.

Road to Recovery:

Following surgery, he’s going to start physical therapy. Helping to restore range of motion in his knee is going to priority number one for me and what I do. Decreasing pain and inflammation will come along in the process.

Once he gets passed the initial days of physical therapy: quad sets, leg raises, calf raises, and assistive knee bends. He’ll get into the movement basics of squats, deadlifts, lunges, and bridges. All which lead into exercises related to his sport.

The last few weeks of treatment then will transition him into basketball related activities with defensive slides, rebounding, shooting, lay-ups. He’ll start with one-on-ones, move to 3-on-0, 5-on-0, 3-on-3, and then 5-on-5.

He will continue to receive treatment on a daily basis to help with any residual soreness and pain he has when going through care. Active Release Technique, Normatec, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, Chiropractic, and Physical Therapy will all be utilized.

My Take:

He is out for at least eight weeks. The Timberwolves won’t need him to make the playoffs. The NBA playoffs will start April 14th. That gives him eight weeks to get ready for them. The eight week layoff does not guarantee that he will play but there is a strong possibility he does.