Kevin Durant Rehab and Timeline After Achilles Rupture | Doctor's Guide

Kevin Durant (now of the Brooklyn Nets!) will spend the upcoming NBA season undergoing rehab for his ruptured achilles tendon suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. This video will examine the key rehab activities and what his progression could be like, highlighting key points from the upcoming NBA season!
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DISCLAIMER: Content not intended to be taken as medical advice. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of my employer. I have not personally evaluated or treated the individual discussed in this video. Additional content used with educational and transformative intent within Fair Use guidelines.
Content owned and produced by Brian Sutterer LLC 2019
#NBA

[@BrianSuttererMD]

5k likes on this vid and I'll do another one for Klay Thompson! Or I might anyways...but let's get to 100k subs!!

[@spacerace1448]

You are at 36, gl with that

[@MJ-br2kg]

I’ve had this injury happen to both legs within the last 2years. The rehab is no joke. I spent a year rehabbing the left only to rupture the right 6months later. 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@mohidabdelmagid1675]

You should do a vid about why this injury causes players to not be able to come back and be the same player they were before

[@exillens]

Durant played at 240lbs which is far from "lightweight". How many pounds will he have to drop in order to reduce the stress on his foot when he begins playing again?

[@exillens]

@@MJ-br2kg That's another factor everyone keeps ignoring. The overcompensating on the other leg or even parts of the same leg that eventually leads to more injuries. I'm trying to understand why many feel so optimistic about KD eventually returning to any type of allstar form. It's literally against the odds and a long shot that he does

[@Goofbirdent]

Can you do one on how Zions weight may affect his playing style

[@jeffreyespinal4040]

dwbermudez I’ve been trying to tell my friends he needs to lose some weight bc usually players get bigger their first couple years

[@moa3821]

thats relative. zion is 272 lebron played most his career at 255, barkley played most of his career over 260 at 6'6 and didnt have injuries until the end. you dont know if he needs to lose weight or not

[@Tiazz.]

Yes please ! Would love to see content on this

[@eltonpayfrid3593]

dwbermudez isn’t that obvious ? Bigger, stronger = will be able to bully. As for his health, absolute weight doesn’t matter. It’s relative because we all have different bone size. The only question to ask is, is he fit & lean ? If yes & he’s 285, then that’s his natural fit weight. Your bones don’t build muscle that they can’t handle (unless you’re on steroids)

[@jimmyeatzpizza1363]

Elton Payfrid he’s up to 300 pounds now and you can see he’s much slower and that he’s gonna keep getting stupid injuries like his bruised knee because of his weight

[@kawilui]

Prayers for KD hope he recover fast... still respect and admire him as a warriors fan..

[@warwid5419]

Just picked him in my pool. Prayer for him

[@idefinemyownlife]

I ruptured my achilles tendon playing soccer in early February, and was lucky to have surgery the same day it happened. In my country they put you in a cast for 2 weeks before you move on to the boot. I had the boot on for 6 weeks, before I had it removed. I was able to ditch crutches after 1 day, and walked around limping while wearing something to build up my heal inside my shoes. It took me approximately 3-3,5 weeks in order to walk normal again and without swelling up so much. I am currently 3 months post-op and I am able to do calf raises on one leg, as well as doing them in a leg press machine without it feeling stiff and painful. I still wear my built up insoles and will continue to do so for some time. My orthopedic surgeon said it would be wise of me to wait until 6 months had passed before I started playing games again. By then it will only be 1-3% chance of me rerupturing the achilles tendon.

[@Crymezieisyunger]

Hey How did this go? I was wondering if you had any advice?

[@idefinemyownlife]

@@Crymezieisyunger Hi! I am currently pain free, and I am in the middle of my season :) I was able to go back to playing 5,5 months post injury. I basically feel the same as I did before the rupture, however building back strength is going to take some time. I wouldn't say I am any slower than I was, but tests show that I am still weaker in it compared to how it was pre-injury. My best advice is to stay patient and stay consistent with the calf raises. Don't let the injury stop you from staying fit, and building muscle/cardio. I biked or used the rowing machine (with a slide on the floor for the injured foot) for my cardio work, and I was very focused on maintaining the muscles in my groin, quads and hamstrings seeing as these are essential for my sport - upper body routine stayed the same. I don't know if you have a sport to return to, but whatever it is, I wish you the best of luck! Stay consistent!

[@akfilms6178]

@@idefinemyownlife ​ hey man i think i partially ruptured my achilles tendon in october 2022 due to playing basketball. I’m currently able to walk, run and do other things and was told i could gradually go back into basketball once again. However my achillies still feels weak and i’m not able to do single leg calf raises. When i do exercise it, there are some minor pain still. What’s your advice on to gradually strengthen it? to the point where i’m able to do single calf raises and go back into my sport

[@idefinemyownlife]

@@akfilms6178 Hi! I would try to do assisted calf-raises; sit on a chair and lift your heels as high as possible. That way you strengthen and activate your tendon, but you dont put your entire weight on it. Also, have you consulted with a physio or doctor? Best of luck to you

[@LifelsGreat]

You should do this for ankle sprains!! Probably the most common injury in the sport of basketball.

[@Dubadubadu123]

In my experience - you just don't really recover, ever from it 😂

[@herb7776]

Kickboxfanatiker what 😂😂😂😂 yes you do

[@dimitrispapazoglou2238]

@@herb7776 Well after my first ankle sprain my ankle became very injury prone so for some people even a simple ankle sprain is a problem

[@LifelsGreat]

Learning. That’s because you more than likely didn’t rehab it, which is why it became chronic! This is the reason I suggested this idea.

[@lilbiggie666]

@@dimitrispapazoglou2238 lmao yeah, almost every 4 games a fall on my foot wrong and sprain my ankle. Probably because I wear Kobes….

[@miklorr]

Would love to see this for oladipo. Great channel I am subscribed and will now spend the night watching your videos

[@SteliGotGame]

He covered Oladipo already.

[@miklorr]

He didn’t do the timeline like this

[@MattFromWiiSports2006]

@@miklorr he should be back opening night

[@anticipatemindrop5194]

Great info. Since I’m a Nets fan and a KD fan, this is great knowledge to know. Thanks a lot Doc.

[@Mektek19]

So after 8 months the tendon is healed and it's mostly about conditioning and getting your body back in basketball shape. That's good. If Durant is patient he can uses an additional 8 months to get himself all the way back before the start of next season.

[@anthonyalex2930]

Mektek19 I focus on recovery in soccer players and Achilles ain’t bad for them..Hudson-Odoi Odoi a Chelsea player ruptured his Achilles in April and he is already back in light training with hope of coming back in August/September

[@anthonyalex2930]

Randomdude am looking at it from soccer perspective..People have fully recovered in soccer easy..Koscielny of Arsenal very old and came back from his Achilles in 6 months and performed the same if not better..And footballers are one of the fittest athletes in the world..Maybe because Basketball players are very athletic with the jumping and all that maybe that’s why it’s harder for them

[@bhillis99]

Randomdude wrong. He’s a jump Shooter

[@thatdude4257]

Thank you for the in depth look on this process.

[@keithalexander1156]

only two types of people dislike videos like these 1) people that don't want to be educated 2) HATERSSSSSSSS

[@ojoj5194]

most fanboys, just saying bro peace from monte carlo

[@Gcode_Shmaaly]

If he takes the entire season off he’ll be great the following season. Perfect amount of rehab time. My dawg Kobe came back to fast especially at his age then. He wasn’t ready the game was to fast for his achilles. Yes he worked on his shooting but driving to the rim and his defense was never the same. Kobe’s explosiveness was a beautiful memory. I don’t wanna see KD look like that I hope he regains his explosiveness🙏🏽

[@zwebackshyper9307]

you know kd himself watching this

[@sportsgamingandelectronics7023]

Does it matter which foot the Achilles was injured on? Dominique injured his right Achilles like Durant has, and had the most successful return, while Kobe, Rudy Gay, and Cousins, all injured their lift off left Achilles, and struggled mightily. Rudy Gay seems to have recovered nicely, even though he is 32 years old.

[@mostmost1]

No it doesn't matter. I tore my Achilles playing Basketball and the main problem is you lose all the muscle mass in both of your legs. Which could lead to other torn leg muscles. Like Boogie did. I tore my right Achilles than in a few years tore my left calf muscle.

[@alexgruszka108]

mostmost1 It probably does matter since they hop and jump off of their legs specifically. Since Durant injured his non-primary jumping leg he shouldn’t have as bad a return as Kobe

[@mostmost1]

@@alexgruszka108 I tore mine and the surgically repaired leg doesnt lose lift because of that surgery. Its actually stronger after surgery than than the other leg. My surgeon let me know that also.

[@alexgruszka108]

mostmost1 Cool I didn’t know that. Only going off of what I heard. Good to know, but it does seem suspicious how depending on the leg the player ruptures, the better or worse their recovery.

[@mostmost1]

@@alexgruszka108 Gilbert Arenas started that theory. I've never heard a doctor verify what he said. The problem with either Achilles tear is the long recovery and it stunts the muscles in both legs from being used. Plus it usually hits older players who just retire than rehab a whole year or 2.

[@cardicon23]

Question: can playing through an ankle sprain cause an Achilles rupture? Because I remember Kobe spraining his ankle ( on the same leg) against the Hawks, a month prior rupturing the tendon.

[@sam.0021]

in another video, he mentioned that any damage to nearby structures can put more pressure onto the rest, so i assume the answer is yes.

[@THEMANCURTIS]

Grade 2 calf strain is a precursor to a Achilles tendon injury. Basically it is like a check engine light

[@rapparevj]

@@THEMANCURTIS dang if I had read this comment sooner lol

[@KeeganOlivera]

Literally the best channel on KZbin

[@stevePDx]

You guys do realise that we got a physiotherapy lecture disguised in context of basketball right? 😂Man I wish I had you as my lecturer for my uni courses. I actually would've paid attention

[@Drauzet]

I learned more about the achilles tendon here than in school lmao

[@stevePDx]

@@Drauzet dude I'm in practice and I'm quoting this guy with my patients 😂😂

[@aalijahk]

You should do a ACL rehab guide

[@spackjarrow7931]

Could you make a video about the most common injuries you see and how they can be prevented? And thanks for the great content.

[@traefivevideo556]

Ty Brian, I’m never lacking in these NBA streets.👍🏽

[@stewartfield1977]

Hey Brian! I love your videos! Iron your damn shirt tho.

[@kosmique]

I can already see you becoming the head doc of some nba team / player :D

[@thewarrior8380]

That's his plan. He's a stable genius

[@BrianSuttererMD]

Plan is to work part time as a sports medicine/media consultant type...like Sanjay Gupta does on CNN except with sports med and injuries

[@KennyLiang]

Liking the progression animation 👍

[@issadiallo3236]

Who else think the league should consider signing this guy ?

[@lucaalessandrosilva5836]

thanks I always wanted to understand this aspect of this injury!!! great video, as always

[@KYO-jp9eg]

Been waiting for this Sir! Thank you! GODBLESS!🤩

[@jamesiu1234567]

Are there any risks associated with exercising with a minor sprained ankle? You did a video on how Klay's hamstring injury may have put him at greater risk for his ACL tear. I was wondering if there're similar unintuitive (to the layperson) connections to something quite common like an ankle sprain? A video like that could really help viewers make better informed decisions about when to rest and when to power through! Thanks!

[@itaintrocketscience1759]

love this kind of video, should definitely do it on another type of injury soon!

[@RealRobbyRobb]

Can you cover a rehab Process of Victor Oladipo’s injury. I’ve never really seen a basket player get that. And what effect will it have on his performance

[@jimmyreinstein9993]

Great work as always with your videos Brian!

[@liusam651]

Yeah tendons love load, just need to figure out load intensity and timing

[@jacquesgodard]

Can u do a video on heat stroke or heat exhaustion?

[@AB-jo7oc]

Can you do a video on Paul George's injury earlier in his career and what his rehab would be like as I also play basketball and have recently had a similar injury to Paul George and dont know where to start

[@maxmupesse]

Thank you for this video Brian

[@Nellz_OTH]

Brian good shit bro. Love these vids

[@SeanKlarc]

I know this is late to the party, but I thought I might share my early recovery process since you mentioned how there are different schools of thought in how much flexion or lack thereof the ankle should be allowed. I ruptured my Achilles July 2018 and my surgeon wanted me walking in a hard cast that had a heel which gave me that plantar flexion. I went back to him every 8-12 days to have my cast replaced with a lower and lower heel until about the 1-1.5 month mark where I was then placed in a boot with no heel raises or anything. Additionally, every time I had a cast re-set and my ankle less plantar flexed, my ankle would be in quite a bit of pain so I would need crutches at first, but then be back to full weight bearing within a day or two.

[@kmelo715]

Tore my Achilles July 28th 2019 aches and soreness just starting to fade away

[@Surayahti]

Get well soon KD

[@ionescumarian6457]

Nice video.Could you make a video about the rehab for an ACL tear and try to explain how ,despite the fact that the usual recovery time is between 6 to 9 months,Tony Ferguson came back to taking hard leg kicks from Anthony Pettis after just 3 months?

[@pablorichard5921]

He did tear his acl

[@pablorichard5921]

Didnt*

[@hunterjones6000]

love your videos brian! Have you ever thought of working hands on rehabbing athletes and training athletes to protect and perfect their bodies with your knowledge or are these videos more of a hobby for you?

[@ronyhernandez1370]

Brian I would like for you to make a video kind of the same way as this one but for a compression fracture I recently fell from a roof and I would be interested since you haven't made one on compression fractures in recovery for it and what should I expect appreciate it much love for your channel thank you

[@slimesessions6090]

I just ruptured my Achilles in May 2022 and I am currently about 6 weeks post op. I’m finally getting out of the boot next week to start walking around and doing more ankle strengthening exercises

[@colinedelman6392]

Hope you’re feeling better now

[@FREEM1ND]

Is the switch from a hard cast following the same logic as not putting a sprained ankle in an air cast? Allowing more blood flow to the area which promotes healing? That's at least how my orthopedist explained ankle sprain healing to me; get it out of an air cast and put it in a range limiting boot to promote blood flow.

[@dannyf21]

Hey i really love your videos, keep it up Would also be looking forward to some hockey and football content, but recently I've been getting into basketball :)

[@DrAdnan]

I wonder if they could use growth hormone or other factors to speed healing

[@BerdugongPipi]

You gotta love this Doctor Men

[@Jal2446]

Hey Brian for a future episode, can you have one on future procedures in an advanced or experimental stage and provide some theories as to why they would be more effective than what we have currently today.

[@goatestshuckler3600]

Can you talk about the significance of each knee ligament?

[@iwantmoney10]

Wow would love one of those vids for mcl acl medial meniscus rehab and treatment

[@majamintoft5821]

Please, please, please make an clearly informative clip about Klay Thompson's torn ACL injury, rehab process and his potential return to the game he loves. Thank you, Dr Brian Suterer, for all your clips on our favorite athletes' injuries, your professional expertise on the injuries, and posting your highly informative clips/posts almost as soon as they happen. Peace.

[@TheOnlyOne]

It's crazy how you have time to make KZbin videos and be doctor at the same time.

[@ianweber8580]

Nice vid, doc! btw your hairline is tough 😤

[@JASONTHEGAMER377]

😂😂😂

[@scruffy8075]

Love this Video. Could you an other rehab guide about acl rupture and the risk of a rerupture, like in my case ?

[@alessandroolivieri7]

Can you make a video on the newest report on ESPN about severe injuries on younger players due to overloading at young ages? I think it is a super interesting thing and i want to know from a doctor if it is true that training and playing too much at young age could play a role in future injuries. I use to think that when you're training well you actually prevent from injuries and if you trained well at young age you could develop the right body frame to prevent injuries.

[@bone7738]

Hey Brian, I believe the video would be better if you remove the background music. *just some feedback.*

[@domagojtrninic2637]

Best video so far :)

[@batvigilante1827]

Waiting on Klay injury timeline

[@steeveshealth]

Enjoy your videos! Might want to iron that shirt ;)

[@louiedangelo3843]

oh yeah KD will be ready for playoffs baby!

[@marlkalone7361]

If this video gets 1 million likes I'll buy you a car. 😂

[@jay-xz6yo]

I see your production value in these videos is going up 👀

[@BrianSuttererMD]

Trying :)

[@JoshuaTraas]

Thank you for this informative video. Helped me understand what is going on and what will happen if this ever happens to me or someone i know

[@jerrodgarland2604]

Y’all thought kawhi deserve number one the whole warriors team was injured kawhi not kd kd a problem

[@jean2michell]

great video

[@yawhboateng]

Thanks for the video! What articles did you base your rehab protocol on? It would be awesome to read more about it.

[@KurtKress]

1 week into my recovery now

[@xKevlared]

Do Jonny Knox injury a few years ago while he was with the bears.

[@David-1216]

Could you make a vid on shin splints?

[@Philipstyrer]

Bruh what was that music lol. Nice video as always though.

[@NineNinaSix]

I’m mad that he’s not in the knicks Doc 😂😂

[@NineNinaSix]

Great video though as always

[@crazymangaming9679]

BlackWrist Prod. He said he preferred the Nets system and he had worked with the Nets docs before this Achilles surgery and this one also

[@jessygarci]

@@crazymangaming9679 He went there to follow Kyrie. I bet if Kyrie Said Knicks ..He would've gone there. Nets weren't that great. Their last 10 games were carried by D'lo.

[@jessygarci]

Me too. Messed up how they get dissed all the time.

[@crazymangaming9679]

Jessy Garci I wouldn’t say Entirely DLo Caris was carrying for a little bit but DLo put them over the hump to make us more relevant because honestly we in December we were on the same path the Knicks were headed but when Caris went Down DLo shouldered the load and gave us a taste of postseason

[@dee22503]

cool vid doc. just some constructive criticism, lower down the background music a bit!

[@GoochButta]

Do Johnny Knox injury. From the Chicago bears. Dude got folded in half

[@katropa4276]

Go go go idol kd...

[@Innovade]

would stem cells help with recovery?

[@bakercorps]

No

[@vegeta9411]

Please do bulging disc or herniated disc rehab and how long it takes for someone to get back to their normal life

[@focusednba2245]

Hey man, hoping you’ll respond to this because I’m a bit lost right now. I sprained my right ankle for the 3rd time in as many years. The first time was grade 3, took almost a year until I felt 100% again (or as close to 100% I could) the second was a grade 2, now I have a grade 1. (Sprained yesterday) I never had any coverage, so all the physio I did was exercises I found online. My question: when should I start stretching it, how long should I ice it, should I be using heat, strengthening exercises, etc. I know usually that advice would be paid for, but I watch all your videos!! So I am paying you in a way, no? Lol. Hope to hear from you, if not, keep up the informative videos either way. Thanks for reading

[@ashtonbryan4500]

Do one about the ACL

[@ralphleonardo1510]

He will just practice and will not play in NBA game. I say in April he will participate in practice before playoffs. He should ask Dominique Wilkins of his timeline for recovery.

[@jessygarci]

I would not risk it at all. The playoffs should not be important next season to him. What can be worse than him not being fully recovery. And then forbid having a career ending injury.

[@jethroarcangel]

ur the best

[@jorgerosales6646]

I chose to do non opp what do you think? I’m 30 and pretty active and athletic I want to get your opinion?

[@ahmadalhallak7434]

Can you do the same video for Klays injury

[@FastForceG]

Why aren’t you on espn

[@fiscer247]

KD will miss the entire season. He and the Drs will play it safe and I don't blame them.

[@abprepboy33]

warriors might have dodged a bullet in not re signing him.

[@fiscer247]

@@abprepboy33 The Warriors didn't want to pay KD 40 million just to ride the bench all year, but Brooklyn was willing to. Whether KD was injured or not I think he would have left GS anyway.

[@abprepboy33]

@@fiscer247 I think the warriors actually offered KD more than any other team......I think it might turn out to be a great break for them that he went elsewhere though. We'll have to see how the warriors front office rebuilds over the next year or so. This next yr is going to be a bust- but they might be able to get creative next summer

[@kingjulien9525]

I can relate!!

[@user-pl3rx5rn3k]

Please explain tony saunders' arm injury.

[@blumenflower6539]

Why would 12 people dislike this

[@moa3821]

DO ACL NEXT!

[@tarique3472]

Can you do klay Thompson

[@papabear4154]

Hopefully out of the boot by the start of the season? I had surgery on my Achilles on May 6th and was out of the boot by mid June. I’ve been doing physical therapy and have been working on strengthening and stretching it since. He won’t be in a boot that long. KD will probably be out of the boot within 2-3 more weeks.

[@jessygarci]

That's what he said, As well, That some are out of the boot in 4 to 6 weeks.

[@MattFromWiiSports2006]

KD already off the crutches and ion think he was wearing a boot. I think he will be back by February-may

[@BrianSuttererMD]

I've wondered the same It's been really quick. Will get an update vid out at some point

[@ettoreadam7421]

You are my favourite doctor! Can I come do a clerkship with you?

[@zeko1015]

Can Kevin Durant at least shot the ball? I assume that doesn’t require a lot of hard movements.

[@Kb-zj4nq]

4:55

[@zeko1015]

Krazy 8's thank you.

[@jayceonkelly7709]

He posted a pic on ig of him shooting in a pool

[@240lifestyle]

It would be so cool if you go on the Joe Rogan podcast !!!

[@badal4408]

after 10 months of surgery still i have some pain while running is it ok?

[@dylanbert1]

Do you believe he got a cadaver tendon?

[@HideInKilimanjaro79]

Why did LaPhonso Ellis miss only 7 months?

[@kgwriter4024]

What is lacking in these discussions about Achilles injuries is the type of rehab that is being performed. Could it be, perhaps, that the trainers don’t want to be exposed for using inferior rehab methods? Most likely, the trainers who are involved in designing rehab programs were also involved in designing workout programs that didn’t help prevent these injuries in the first place! What is the most common reason an older person ruptures an Achilles tendon? Ask your surgical colleagues, Dr. Sutterer, and my guess is they will say insufficient tendon elasticity. How does running across plastic ladders and around safety cones improve tendon elasticity? Also, without working the legs through a full range of motion, you upset the optimal coordination of the connective tissues from the foot to the hip by creating internal resistance -- as an analogy, you can't push on the gas and the brakes in a car at the same time. Here’s a challenge, Dr. Sutterer, share with us just one current NBA player performing a full squat with a barbell (not a Smith machine, a barbell), hamstrings touching the calves, with their heels flat on the floor. Maybe the sports journalist will someday gain some insight into what the real problem is regarding Achilles injuries in basketball? Of course, it probably won't be ESPN's Max Kellerman, who recently explained in one of his broadcasts that the calf bone is connected to the Achilles bone!

[@TheSupermanFilms]

Do you think there’s any chance he could be playing by the playoffs next year?

[@apt62]

TheSupermanFilms no way. Even at beginning of next season he’s risking it.

[@wanderer6456]

Hope those raptors fans who laughs after kd injured be raptured all their feet!!

[@iiialmlll1301]

Wan Derer I had a stroke reading this

[@WristWrist23]

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee damn that shit got me tripping

[@aldwinflores7029]

Brooklyn is definitely risking on KD. Just saying.. is this part 2 of the organization being blinded with huge name/s?