Derrick Rose will undergo surgery on his right knee on Monday, his second in 18 months. The Chicago Bulls point guard tore the medial meniscus in his right knee on Friday night against the Portland Trailblazers.
After an MRI in Los Angeles on Saturday to assess the damage, Rose flew back to Chicago and team physician Dr. Brian Cole -- the same doctor who repaired the torn ACL in his left knee -- will perform the necessary surgery.
Rose has two options that have been widely reported in his upcoming procedure – which will be done arthroscopically and is far less invasive than the surgery used to repair his ACL.
Depending on the severity, the damaged meniscus can be repaired using stitches which will mean a longer recovery and could likely keep him out the remainder of the 2013-14 season, but will be better for him long term. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook underwent this option after tearing his meniscus in last season’s playoffs.
The second option is to have the meniscus removed entirely which will get Rose back on the court sooner, but will put him at risk for long term knee problems going forward. Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade had his meniscus removed while in college at Marquette and has been dealing with chronic knee problems as a result of that procedure many years later.
There is also a third option which involves shaving or trimming away the damaged area which would also get him back on the court sooner, but the best course of action won’t be known until Dr. Cole actually goes into the knee to assess and afterwards, a timetable for recovery can then be established.
