Understanding Anthony Davis’ Adductor Strain
- Post By: Jeff Stotts
- Date:
- Category: NBA, Understanding...
Anthony Davis’ Dallas debut started off in spectacular fashion as the newly acquired All-Star scored 26 points to go with 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. He emphatically declared to the Mavs fanbase, “I’m here” following a first quarter putback dunk. “Here” was short-lived as Davis suffered a lower body injury late in the third quarter and was unable to finish the much-needed win over the Rockets.
Davis downplayed the severity of the injury after the game, saying he felt a “spasm” in his groin, near his previous strained abdominal muscle. He was “very confident” the injury was a non-issue. These thoughts were also fleeting as reports from Marc Stein and ESPN surfaced Sunday evening that Davis is now facing a multi-week absence with a left adductor strain. Stein continued to say Monday’s evaluation would be “aimed at determining if the injury can be treated without surgery.”
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 10, 2025Monday’s discussions, league sources tell the @TheSteinLine, will be aimed at determining if the injury can be treated without surgery.
Anthony Davis expressed confidence Saturday that he did not suffer a setback after missing the past five games.
The injury is a lot to process for Mavericks fans still reeling from the departure of Luka Doncic. The complexity of the injury and the possible ramifications only further complicate things.
The adductors are a muscle group located on the inside aspect of each of the lower extremities. Their name is derived from the motion they perform, a movement known as adduction. This occurs when the leg is pulled inward toward the midline of the body. The adductors are more commonly referred to as the groin.
Groin strains are common in the NBA, with 24 recorded cases having occurred since the start of the preseason, including players like Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the newest Laker Doncic. Davis has a history of left adductor strains, dating back to his time in New Orleans. A low-grade groin strain forced him to sit Game 5 of LA’s first-round contest against Phoenix in the 2021 postseason and limited him to just five minutes played in the season-ending loss in Game 6.
Davis’ injury history is extensive and well chronicled, but he was able to play in a career-best 76 games just last season and had missed very little time this season before suffering an abdominal strain less than a week before being traded to the Mavericks. Davis missed the first three games following the deal before playing Saturday against Houston.
Sifting through all the available information, including Davis’ previous injury, the nature of how the latest ailment occurred, and the whispers of surgery, it seems possible that Davis’ injury is more than a common adductor strain. AD could easily being managing a sports hernia or core muscle injury (CMI).
The termsports herniais a bit misleading and has becomea catchalltermfor any injury to the abdominal and groin area.Traditionally, a sports herniaoccurswhencontinuous,repetitive forcesareplaced through the midsectionandrerouted into the groin and abdominal muscleswhere both attach to the pelvic bone. This stressresultsin micro-tears inone or moremusclesin the area. The subsequent damage leaves the abdominal wall and inguinal canal weakenedandvulnerable. As a result, an actual abdominal hernia can developover time, though mostsports hernia do not present witha true protrusion.
Given the numerous muscles in the areaand complexity of any associated injuries, there have been attempts, most notably by renowned surgeon Dr. William Meyers,toget rid ofthe term sports hernia. Dr. Meyers, who has successfully performed surgery onnumerousNBA playersincludingDamian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and Rajon Rondo,optsto use the term core muscle injury. The term eliminates the misleading herniaverbiageandcorrectly specifiesthe injury can occur to any of the many muscles that comprise an individual’s core.
Conservative treatment, like rest and physical therapy, is often tried initially following a CMI injury. If the pain persists or the athlete remains functionally limited, surgery can be utilized.Surgery for aCMIinvolves repairing the injury site arthroscopically and isgenerallyaccompanied by a six-to-eight-weekrecovery window.The procedure has a high success rate and is often performed in the offseason or after a team has been eliminated from postseason contention. However, there have been cases of in-season surgeries that have allowed a player to return to action before the conclusion of the season. The average time lost in these cases is 24.5 games (~55 days or 7+ weeks). Only one of these cases occurred after January.
Davis will continue to be evaluated Monday to determine the best course of treatment. A “simple” adductor strain, even a more moderate Grade 2 strain, would likely be a best-case scenario. Since the 2005-06 NBA season, in-season Grade 2 adductor strains result in an average time lost of 14.8 games (34.2 days). A more complex injury, especially one warranting surgery, would increase that number and potentially end AD’s season. It’s been a rough turn of events for the Mavericks and their fans since Doncic suffered his calf strain on Christmas Day and it remains to be seen when things will drastically improve. Monday’s medical evaluations now looms large for a team that was three wins away from a title just eight months ago.
