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USA Today
Last night, Lonzo Ball was carried off the court in the game against the Houston Rockets with what looked like a nasty ankle sprain. As he planted his left ankle, all of his weight was distributed to the lateral aspect of his foot, causing a varus stress. That movement then resulted in the stretching and straining of the lateral ligaments of his ankle.
After having to go to the nearest hospital to get x-rays, the Lakers and their fans got more clarity today after getting an MRI. Shams reported that Lakers will be without their starting point guard for the next 4-6 weeks, as it’s been revealed that Lonzo has a grade 3 ankle sprain.
Here’s a little insight on how to grade lateral ankle sprains. The three main ligaments affected in a lateral ankle sprain are the anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL), the calcaneo-fibular ligament (CFL), and the posterior talo-fibular ligament (PTFL). Initial symptoms of a sprain include pain, swelling, and instability of the ankle.
Ankle sprains are graded according to the level of injury to the ligament and are as follows:
Grade 1 sprain (mild): ligament is stretched, not torn
Grade 2 sprain (moderate): ligament is partially torn; some limitations with function
Grade 3 sprain (severe): ligament is completely torn or has pulled away from the bone
In Lonzo’s case, which was a grade 3 sprain, the next 2-3 weeks will probably be spent in a walking boot with crutches. The main objective will be to protect the ankle and to reduce any pain and/or swelling that he may be suffering from. Once Lonzo can tolerate it, he can then start physical therapy and work back into basketball type activities hopefully within 4-6 weeks.
The Lakers should be inclined to let the injury run its course. There have been many instances where a player is rushed back and the injury can linger. For the time being, the Lakers will have to possibly run their offense through Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.