Thunder’s Paul George has played all season with a ‘dead foot’ nerve issue after preseason injury
NBA 

The Oklahoma City Thunder came away with a narrow win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday despite one of their top weapons struggling to score.

Paul George only scored 11 points on the night even though he’s been tearing it up to start the regular season. Following the game, George admitted that he’s dealing with a problematic left foot and has had to play through it since suffering the injury in the preseason.

“A lot of people don’t know, but I got a peroneal nerve palsy,” George told the media after Thursday’s game. “For everyone who doesn’t know what that is, it’s a dead foot term. So it’s just trying to play through that. It’s nothing that’s major, it’s nothing that’s going to hurt me. It’s just something that’s going to come back when it feels right. It’s just playing through that. It’s just fun to be out there. I’ve had one of the worst injuries possible, so nothing else is going to sideline me.”

The star forward only scored 11 points on 4-of-20 shooting, but did make an impact in a variety of other departments. George secured 10 rebounds, recorded four steals, dished out three assists and rejected three shots in 39 minutes for Oklahoma City. However, it was the first game in which he didn’t score at least 20 points.

This is something that could linger for quite a while, but the team doesn’t feel that it’s something that requires George to rest at the current time. 

WebMD categorizes the peroneal nerve as “a branch of the sciatic nerve that wraps from the back of the knee to the front of the the shin.” The respected medical authority also says “the peroneal nerve may also be associated with pain or numbness along the shin or the top of the foot.” 

The injury is commonly seen in sports, patients who have diabetes, or people who have hip and knee replacements. The most common treatment is a lightweight brace with physical therapy and shoe inserts also being utilized.

As things currently stand, it appears that this is an injury that George can continue to play through and it’s being viewed as a relatively minor issue. However, it’s definitely something that the Thunder will be monitoring as the regular season goes on.

Source: Read Full Article