How Will the Steph Curry Injury Impact the Warriors?

Like many Orange County residents, we’re concerned about how the Steph Curry injury will impact the Golden State Warriors’ season. While we have the utmost confidence in the Warriors, we also know that it’s just not the same when Curry’s absent. Below, we apply our knowledge of personal injuries to Steph Curry’s situation.

What Is an Ankle Sprain?

Ankles are complex. They actually contain two different joints:

• Ankle joint: a hinge joint where the tibia and fibia meet, and
• Subtalar joint: the connection between two of your foot bones, which allows your ankle to move side-to-side.

In addition to these bony structures, your ankle includes muscles, nerves, and bands of tissue, called ligaments. Ligaments help stabilize our ankle joints and keep them well-aligned. Sometimes, when your ankle twists, folds, or rolls, these ligaments are stretched or torn. This tearing and stretching is an ankle sprain.

Ankle sprains can cause pain, swelling, and instability in the ankle. Most ankle sprains only need conservative treatment, such as rest, icing, elevation, and use of a compression sleeve or brace. However, more serious sprains sometimes require surgery. Moreover, repeated ankle sprains can cause chronic ankle instability – a condition which could threaten a basketball career.

The Facts Surrounding the Steph Curry Injury

Steph Curry has a history of right ankle problems. In 2011, he underwent a right ankle stabilization surgery to repair his stretched out ligaments. Curry’s ankle required another surgery in 2012, where doctors cleaned up scar tissue and other debris.

Then, on December 4, 2017, during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Curry’s ankle collapsed again. Doctors diagnosed a right ankle sprain and kept him off the court for 11 games. In early January, Curry re-injured the ankle during a shootaround at practice. According to the Warriors, Curry’s injury was minor and did not require testing like an x-ray or MRI. He took an additional two games off, returning to play the Toronto Raptors on January 13. During this game, Curry scored 24 of the Warriors’ 127 points.

Should We Be Concerned About the Steph Curry Injury?

As basketball fans, we’re understandably concerned when a team’s star player has an injury. While we (and the Warriors) should keep a careful eye on Curry’s injury, he seems confident in his recovery. He’s probably getting world class medical attention from the Warriors’ team of trainers, surgeons, specialists, and physical therapists.

However, one of the things we love about Steph Curry is his drive and competitive nature. If he pushes his ankle too hard – or returns to competitive play too early – Curry could risk additional or permanent injuries. We hope he’s listening to his body and much as his heart!

If the unthinkable happens and the Steph Curry injury prematurely ends his career, the Golden State Warriors will survive. They have an incredibly deep bench that maintained the Warriors’ winning record while he healed. However, we want to see Steph Curry raise the NBA Championship a few more times before he retires.