Carlos Boozer Injury Update: Turf Toe?

Per request from the great Cherine K., here is an update in regards to Carlos Boozer, PF for the Chicago Bulls.   I'm sure many of you may be wondering how Boozer ended up with turf toe, when clearly he plays a sport that is played on a wood surface.  Was Boozer participating in some drills on a turf surface when they occurred? Or is this yet another semi-shady incident like his early season hand fracture that required him to get surgery after tripping over his bag.  

Unfortunately for conspiracy theorists, turf toe is a rather common injury whose name arises from its association for sports played on rigid artificial turf surfaces such as football/soccer/rugby.  However, because this injury is common to these sports, does not mean that these injuries are specific to this surface.  

Turf toe occurs secondary to hyperextension of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (big toe), resulting in a sprain of the ligaments on both the dorsal and plantar surfaces.  Constant running, planting, and pushing off are all examples of possible methods of injury to obtain this diagnosis. In addition, flexibility of the sole and toe box of athletic shoes can increase the likelihood of injury. Therefore, it makes it easier to see how this injury could occur in a basketball player, just the same as a football player.  The prognosis of this injury is dependent on the severity of the sprain.  A grade I sprain would typically be 1-2 weeks recovery, a grade II sprain (mild/moderate ligament tearing) would mean a 4-6 week recovery, and a grade III sprain might potentially necessitate surgery to repair torn ligaments.  

What is concerning about the Boozer injury is that he "felt something pop" in his right foot, causing him to miss the last 18 minutes of their win against the Pacers. Even though he had a MRI confirming the diagnosis, no word has been released as to the severity of the sprain.  Clinically, normal turf toe would necessitate a 1-2 week recovery period, so it remains to be seen how he will be able to function over the course of a seven game series.  Much like the Derrick Rose injury, he will more than likely be given pain killing injections, but if there is severe tearing of the ligaments, the Bulls may be in some trouble.

I hope this post was educational and useful. I hope everyone is having a great and relaxing weekend.  Until next time!

-Dr. Joshua Cacho, DPT

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