Kevin Durant suffered a Jones fracture back in October 2014, the same injury that ended former NBA center Yao Ming’s career. A Jones fracture is a break in the bone of the 5th metatarsal, a long bone on the outside of the foot. Durant had undergone surgery and a screw was inserted into the bone. Unfortunately, Durant complained of discomfort and his doctor discovered the screw head was rubbing against the cuboid bone, a bone that sits behind the base of the 5th metatarsal, and was causing discomfort and irritation. The original screw was taken out and replaced, however the revisional surgery fell short of the desired outcomes. With little success of healing his broken bone, Durant agreed to a third surgical procedure where a non-FDA approved bone graft would be used. Durant’s surgeon used Medtronic INFUSE Bone-Graft, a graft that is FDA approved for use in the cervical area of the spine, but not in the foot. INFUSE bone graft is a synthetic protein that helps grow new bone, however it is associated with many side effects such as: infection, bone and nerve injury, male sterility, increased cancer risk and more.
Durant’s radical surgery has so far been worth the risk as he has been cleared to play. Durant’s bone will continue to remodel for a year and all of us at Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc. wish him a full recovery.
Dr. Dardashti