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Chicago Bulls news: The facts about orbital fractures

By Paul Steeno

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On Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls announced that point guard Derrick Rose suffered a left orbital fracture after a teammate’s elbow struck him in the face during practice. The Bulls ruled him out indefinitely and he will undergo surgery on Wednesday at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Upon completion of the surgery, doctors will determine a timetable for his return. This injury is the latest in a laundry list of setbacks for the Chicago Bulls 26-year-old point guard.

Bulls big man Taj Gibson provided an account of the play where Rose  injured himself. Gibson spoke on Rose’s injury before doctors ruled it as a fracture.

"He got a little elbow. We don’t know the severity of it, but hopefully he’ll be fine. I know he’s tough, but it was one of those plays, especially in practice, where everybody’s going hard. It’s just tough. —-CBS Sports."

Before rushing into premature conclusions about Rose’s future in the NBA, let’s examine the nature of an orbital fracture to determine objectively how this injury will impact Rose for the upcoming season assuming he returns.

Temple University Hospital’s website defines an orbital fracture as “a traumatic injury to the bone of the eye socket [that is] usually the result of blunt force trauma to the eye.” Symptoms include blurry, decreased or double vision, numbness, intense cheek pain when opening the mouth and swelling of the forehead and cheek among other things.

Recovery time is largely dependent on the nature and severity of the injury. Drugs.com provided a vague description of potential recovery time on its website.

"How long the injury lasts depends on the location and severity of the fracture. In most cases, swelling and discoloration begin to go away within seven to 10 days after the injury, but fractured bones take much longer to heal. If surgery is necessary to repair the injured area, your doctor may delay the procedure for several weeks to allow swelling to go away."

Once again, the length of recovery is directly correlated with the severity of the injury and the success of the ensuing surgery. We know that Rose sustained an orbital fracture, but within the parameters of this injury there are obviously varying degrees of seriousness.

When Rose undergoes surgery tomorrow, the Chicago Bulls will give a more concrete evaluation of the injury as well as the length of time Rose needs to recover. Nonetheless, estimates that predict Rose missing a significant part of the season or retiring all together are sensationalized.

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Chicago Tribune writer K.C. Johnson gave his estimate of Rose’s impending recovery based on how long other NBA players with the same injuries had to sit out. Johnson wrote that Rose could return as early as the Chicago Bulls season opener on Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Absences following surgery for orbital fractures have run the gamut recently with players missing anywhere from five to 28 games.–Quote obtained by Chicago Tribune writer K.C. Johnson"

According to In Street Clothes writer Jeff Stotts,  Jason Terry, Joe Johnson, Tarence Kinsey and Etan Thomas are four NBA players that recently suffered orbital fractures that required surgery. Collectively as a group, they missed an average of 14 games (about two weeks).

Obviously, Rose’s injury isn’t a best case scenario. Any missed time, is time that could have been spent developing on-court chemistry with his teammates and continuing to apply new head coach Fred Hoiberg’s complicated offensive system in game simulations in practice. However, while not a best case scenario, it isn’t a worse case scenario either. Rose will return this season, the million dollar question is when.

Sep 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) speaks during media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

Vision issues could be a problem;however, barring a very serious case it won’t become a long-term problem. Athletically, Rose isn’t limited in his recovery. He will have the opportunity to stay in shape, because vision issues aren’t an excuse for a lack of cardiovascular conditioning. Even if he can only see well with one eye, he can still run and lift.

For Rose, another knee injury would have been far worse news than an orbital fracture. His current injury requires a short rehabilitation period (especially when put within the context of other rehab stints Rose has endured during his career). Rose has dealt with far worse injuries. He isn’t going to crash and burn because of an orbital fracture.

At the Chicago Bulls media day on Monday, Derrick Rose proclaimed that he was still “great” at basketball.  The current injury won’t deter Rose from showing the world that he’s still great. He will just have to wait a bit longer before he can prove this point.

The question of whether Rose returns this season is a matter of when, not a matter of if.

Next: Chicago Bulls News: Which Player Steps Up In Mike Dunleavy's Absence?

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