Pacers Tyrese Haliburton Suffers Calf Strain, Here's What This Means

Forbes

4 hours ago

Tyrese Haliburton #0 has suffered a right calf strain and listed as questionable for Game 6 of the ... More NBA FInals. Here the Indiana Pacers guard is seen guarding Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Five. (Photo by)
The Indiana Pacers are facing two types of strains right now. One is the strain of trying to stay alive in the NBA Finals while down 3-2 in the series to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The other is a muscle strain in the right calf of the Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. He's been struggling with this injury throughout the championship series and seemed to further aggravate it in the Pacers' 120-109 Game 5 loss to the Thunder this past Tuesday. So the big question is whether he'll be able to provide the necessary muscle when the Pacers take on the Thunder in a must-win Game 6 this Thursday.
Well, first, let's take a closer look at his injury. A muscle strain is a slightly fancier way of saying a muscle pull, stretch or tear. While your calf does have other muscles, the two major ones are your gastrocnemius and soleus. In fact, this is a two becomes one situation where in each of your legs, these muscles merge right above your heel to then feed into your Achilles tendon. So, in effect, the gastrocnemius and soleus function more like one big muscle with two sections.
When they contract, your gastrocnemius and soleus help lift your heel and point your foot. This is necessary when you run and jump. When these muscles get stretched too quickly, with too much force or by too great a degree, though, the result can be a calf strain. This can happen when your foot gets flexed such as when you land after jumping or change direction while running. Your calf muscles can be particularly susceptible to strains if they are tight (e.g., from lack of stretching exercises beforehand), weakened or fatigued.
It's not clear when specifically Haliburton strained and perhaps re-strained his calf muscle. Running, jumping and pivoting are thing that basketball players kind of do a lot during a game. Typically, a basketball player who is playing in serious competition in the NBA is not going be like a rec player at the Y and shout 'muscle pull, need a moment' when the injury occurs. However, Haliburton was visibly limping during the first quatrter of Game 5 and had his right lower leg wrapped.
Calf strains are usually diagnosed through a physical exam. A doctor can check for swelling, bruising and other color changes in the area. He or she may push on the calf to look for tenderness and see if movement of the ankle causes pain. Naturally, you want to be careful when doing these things because really pushing on the calf like you are making sausage could further aggravate symptoms.
Fequently, the doctor won't need additional testing to diagnose a calf strain. However, he or she may choose to use magnetic resonance imaging, otherwise known as an MRI, to confirm the presence, location and extent of the strain. Any or all of the above can help determine how severe the muscle strain is and into which of the following grades it falls:
The grade of the strain will help determine the expected recovery time and potentially treatment.
In most cases, the treatment for a calf strain is RICE. This doesn't mean that you turn your lower leg into a piece of sushi. Rather, RICE is an acronym that stands for:
After two days have gone by, you may want to do the opposite of that Katy Perry song Hot N Cold and move from cold compresses to hot packs. The heat can relive any muscle soreness and stiffness. You can also use pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, to bring down the inflammation and manage your symptoms. But be careful with such medications as they might upset your stomach.
Haliburton's return will depend heavily on the grade and severity of his injury. Typically it takes four weeks for a mild calf strain to heal properly. A moderate calf strain usually takes a bit longer: six to 12 weeks. When you've got a severe or grade 3 calf strain, it can take well over 12 weeks to return to the court, field or wherever else you do your athletic thing. This absence could extend to months, depending on the severity.
Of course, Haliburton is not your average athlete, and the NBA Finals are not your average situation. There isn't the luxury of time. And a less than 100% Haliburton is worth more than 100% of over 99% of the population. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle explained during a press conference, "He'll go through the day tomorrow. Our prep session is tomorrow late afternoon. They'll get together and do some testing. That will determine whether he plays or not. If he doesn't play, we have a plan, obviously, if we're without him."
In case you have any question about what Haliburton will be listed as on the injury report, Carlisle answered that too: "He is going to be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will likely be listed as questionable on the injury report and probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6."
If you are wondering whether Haliburton could cause further damage his calf muscle by playing in Game 6 (and Game 7 if the series goes that long), the answer is 'Yes,' with a capital 'Y.' And a capital 'ES,' as in 'extra susceptible.' Returning to vigorous physical activity before the muscle has had the proper amount of time and rest to fully heal does significantly raise the risk of tearing the muscle further or even suffering a completely new tear. If you recall, a weakened or stiffer calf muscle in general is more susceptible to a calf strain.
For all these reasons, if you were to suffer a calf strain, a doctor will typically urge you to follow treatment recommendations and not return to sports until well after the symptoms have completely disappeared and there is no sign of tenderness or other limitation. But again you are not Haliburton. And you are not playing for the possibility of an NBA championship, unless, of course, you are Haliburton.
Even if Haliburton can make it back it to the court this series, his mobility may be limited. He may not have the same explosiveness when jumping, pivoting or zig-zagging in the typical Haliburton way. Then there's the whole mental thing. When you are playing with such an injury and are at risk for injuring your calf even worse, you may consciously or subconsciously be more careful to protect the calf.
Game 5 did see a limited Haliburton. He did play 17 minutes in the second half, grabbing more rebounds and dishing out more asists than any other Pacers after half-time. However, he made little effort to shoot and didn't make a single bucket from the field, the first that's happened in an NBA game that's he's played at least 34 minutes. Time will tell if he can make it back on the court and score at a greater pace for the Pacers. And if the strain on Haliburton's calf and the Pacers will be too much to overcome the Thunder.