Arthrex, Company Behind Jayson Tatum’s Potential Repair, Shares Crucial Info on It

Even a nightmare scenario can include positives. Jayson Tatum tearing his right Achilles could be a franchise-altering injury for the Boston Celtics.

They’ve spent multiple years over the second apron. The prospect of spending a season without their four-time All-NBA First Team selection could lead to a dramatic summer makeover. That may include parting with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, moves motivated by shedding payroll.

The idea would be to take a step back so the 2023-24 NBA champions could create more long-term financial and roster-building flexibility.

As Boston navigates his absence and Tatum embarks on his road to recovery, there are crucial factors surrounding the situation that could help him return to superstar status.

“The positive was we were 15 minutes away from Dr. [Martin J.] O’Malley, who is a terrific surgeon who has done a number of these,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

Speaking at his end-of-season press conference at the Auerbach Center, Stevens noted, “Dr. Schena was on the phone with him before we left the building on Monday night, and he was out of the MRI, in consultation and done with surgery by the time we had an injury report the next day because there was [a]

real benefit to doing it early. And so, as tough as that injury is, and as tough as it was that night, just an amazing set of circumstances.”

Those benefits are something Dr. Kevin R. Stone emphasized to Forbes in a conversation about Tatum’s injury and recovery. Dr. Stone is an orthopedic surgeon at The Stone Clinic and a pioneer of advanced orthopedic surgical and rehabilitation techniques to repair, regenerate, and replace damaged cartilage and ligaments.

“We’ve learned over the last few years that very early motion and rehabilitation accelerate the healing,” conveyed Dr. Stone. “It doesn’t slow down the healing. It doesn’t damage the repair. And so the sooner you have the injury, the sooner you have the repair. And then the sooner you start your recovery, physical therapy, in our hands, that’s the next day after injury and surgery, the faster you recover and the better you do.”

Despite Tatum suffering perhaps the most concerning injury an athlete can sustain, Dr. Stone, a leading expert in Achilles tendon repair, expressed optimism about what the future may hold for the Celtics star.

“There’s nothing about an Achilles rupture that should prevent him from coming back better than he was before,” said Dr. Stone.

The SpeedBridge procedure could help that cause. While Tatum may have gone a different route, Dr. O’Malley, who also performed surgery on Kevin Durant and Tiger Woods when they tore their Achilles tendons, is reportedly known for the SpeedBridge procedure.

What to know about the SpeedBridge procedure

Arthrex, the company behind this procedure, shared critical information about the Arthrex PARS Achilles Midsubstance SpeedBridge™ technique, which high-profile athletes are opting for to aid their recovery.

That includes an illustration of what the procedure Tatum may have undergone looks like.

This innovative surgery provides a stronger repair. That enables patients to start rehabilitation and weight-bearing earlier. The PARS Achilles Midsubstance SpeedBridge™ [PARS AMSS] technique also decreases the risk of infection or wound-healing complications. That’s a benefit of a smaller incision size compared to open repair.

What sets it apart from traditional Achilles open repair is that the former allows for weight-bearing 8-10 weeks after surgery. PARS AMSS allows for immediate partial weight-bearing.

As one would then expect, opting for the latter also allows for earlier full weight-bearing. Reaching that stage faster enables overall rehabilitation protocol to progress at a quicker rate.

Rehab protocol is subject to variation depending on the individual patient. However, the expected rate of progress to the sport-specific phase is about four months. With a traditional open repair, that progression rate takes at least nine months.

In a conversation with ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell, renowned foot and ankle specialist and associate team physician for the Green Bay Packers, Bob Anderson, MD, shared that the feedback from athletes opting for PARS AMSS has been positive.

“They love it because it’s simple, it’s easy, it’s quick, it’s quick to recover from,” said Dr. Anderson. “Less incisions to heal, so they find that it’s an easier process. It’s still a long recovery, but the overall outcome’s been very, very good.”

It’s worth noting this option is not merely reserved for high-profile athletes. It’s a technology available to anyone interested in returning to daily life following an injury of this nature. One can consider choosing PARS AMSS for any Achilles rupture. It’s a technique and product that’s been utilized for over a decade with tens of thousands of patients globally.

For instance, in the following case study, cited in the National Library of Medicine, a comparison between open and percutaneous repair of closed ruptured Achilles tendons cast a stark contrast.

The prospective randomized controlled trial involved 66 patients. The mean duration of immobilization was 12.4 weeks [10 to 14]. The findings also noted “complications in the open group included seven wound infections [21 percent], two adhesions [6 percent] and two cases of re-rupture [6 percent].”

Conversely, in the percutaneous group, there were only three instances of wound puckering [9 percent], one re-rupture [3 percent], and one case with persistent paresthesia in the sural nerve territory [3 percent].

That led to the conclusion that “Percutaneous repair is advocated on the basis of the low rate of complications and improved cosmetic appearance.”

If Tatum opted for an Achilles SpeedBridge procedure from Dr. O’Malley, one should feel good about the decreased risk of infection or wound-healing complications. The same goes for getting to rehab and weight-bearing earlier.

These are significant advantages that could help Jayson Tatum return to and maintain superstar form and the Celtics re-open their championship window.