From @DrJesseMorse on X (I think of DRS whenever there is an injury, RIP)
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Suffers in acute left lower leg injury here jogging up the court
Initially here are the possibilities for what he is dealing with:
1. Calf/Gastrocnemius cramp
2. Gastrocnemius strain
3. Soleus strain
4. Plantaris tear
5. Achilles tear
These are in order of likelihood.
Both Woj & Shams just confirmed that it is indeed a calf strain, so let’s discuss the possibilities.
The calf is made up of 2 different muscles: gastrocnemius & soleus.
The gastrocnemius muscle, which is on the outside & more common. This is responsible for propulsion and has 2 heads, medial & lateral.
The medial proximal head has poor blood supply and that is most commonly where it strains. Although it can be on either head.
The soleus muscle is a deeper muscle and is much less commonly strained. This is responsible for keeping us upright.
Calf muscles are notoriously slow healing and reinjure at a higher rate (think Joe Burrow in early 2023).
There are 3 grades:
Grade 1 - mild strain, could return in 2-3 weeks
Grade 2 - moderate strain, much more concerning, take 4-6 weeks to return
Grade 3 - rare, season-ending
Below I have attached an ultrasound photo of an NBA player I evaluated with a soleus strain. That was a grade 1 because you can see the ‘structure’ of the muscle still really well.
I personally prefer to be aggressive with these and inject PRP, or ideally stem cells in these to speed up recovery, prevent easy reinjury, and deliver potent growth factors right where the body needs it.
With the way, he was walking towards the locker room so thankfully an injury to his Achilles is much less likely.
I expect them to get an MRI on both his calf as well as his Achilles but they already likely have a good idea of what’s going on by exam & ultrasound, which is very sensitive.