From Channel 5 November issue, 2013, P114-121 Dictated by Bob Chen, Written by Lu Mingkui
 
They were the four major representatives for Chinese sports, but they all left the arena due to sports injuries.  Bob Chen, the distinguished Chinese sports expert for the Olympics, will reveal the secret “Achilles Heel” of each.
 
This will be divided into four parts, and we will present them to you one by one starting from today.  Please stay tuned!

Part One – Yao Ming
 
Process of injures



In June 2006, Yao Ming went to training camp in Dallas with the Chinese National Team, and the big toe on his right foot was trampled by a teammate.  Several days later, half of that toenail was gone, which had planted the seeds for the injuries to Yao’s big toe.  In the same month, during the training camp’s first warm-up match, Yao Ming accidentally sprained his left foot.  On July 4th, he was forced to have two toenails removed. 
 
In June 2005, Yao Ming underwent bone spur removal surgery for his left ankle, and the ankle injury this time was due to a long-term accumulation. 
 
In December 2005, Seattle Supersonics forward-center Danny Fortson stepped right on the big toe of Yao Ming’s left foot, which caused the toenail to break off, and he had to rest for 8 days.  On December 19, Yao’s toe was infected and festered, and was diagnosed with osteomyelitis.  He then had surgery on the big toe.  Several days later, in order to heal the wound, he underwent another operation on the same spot.
 
In April 2006, during a tip-in shot against the Utah Jazz, Yao Ming stepped on Deron Williams’ foot while landing, resulting in left pinky toe fracture, and was rushed to the hospital.  On April 14, he went through an operation during which they implanted a steel nail into his left foot.  He then retired for the rest of the season. 
 
In December 2006, home against the Los Angeles Clippers, Yao Ming’s right knee was constantly slammed into by teammate Elvin Hayes and the opponent Tim Thomas.  After he fell to the ground, his knee was pressed by Thomas, and later was diagnosed as tibia fracture for in right leg. 
 
In February 2008, without warning, Yao Ming announced that he would be out for the rest of the season due to “navicular stress fracture.”  On March 4, Yao underwent surgery to repair the stress fracture in Houston, and did not make his comeback until near the Olympics. 
 
In May 2009, at the first game of the Western Conference Semifinals, Yao Ming had a frontal impact on his knee with Kobe Bryant, and fell on the ground, but he finished the game.  On May 10, Yao left the court with a left ankle injury, and was later confirmed to have a left foot fracture, which resulted in his absence from the rest of the playoffs.  On July 22, Yao had a successful repair surgery for the fracture, and was off the court for a full year. 
 
In November 2010, in a Chinese derby featuring the Rockets vs. Wizards, Yao Ming was knocked down by Mckee in the first quarter and suffered a left ankle stress fracture, and he officially announced his retirement for the season. 
 
In January 2011, Yao Ming underwent left ankle surgery.  In July, Yao retired.  




Injury Analysis





The position for centers requires a lot of jumping and landing, while Yao Ming’s weight is relatively heavy, therefore it is easy to cause metacarpal stress fractures.  In 2003 and 2004, I looked at Yao’s ankle injury, and after the examination I predicted there would be problems in the future for his foot.  My reasoning behind this was that he was heavy in weight, but with thin soles, and his foot muscles were weak, so it was mainly up to his shoes to protect them. 
 
After joining the NBA, Yao Ming gained more than 20 kg in weight, which increased the antagonistic intensity.  When he was 18 years old he fractured his lower leg.  But at that time, it was not tended very well, so it caused permanent edema in his ankle and calf.  If a person has bad ankles, his feet are bound to have problems.  Later on, his big toe got stepped on, resulting in paronychia.  After it became infected, the big toe could not exert force, so during running, he relied on the outside of the foot, which caused outer muscle to fatigue, resulting in a fatigue fracture. 
 
This is not a simple injury problem; it is everything combined, including the characteristics of certain movements in this sport, the center position, lots of jumping and landing, weight gain, increased training intensity, and increased lateral force on the foot following the big toe injury that eventually caused a fracture.  After a fracture injury, one needs to rest, but Yao Ming basically did not have time to do that, instead falling into this vicious cycle of rehabilitation, training, and competing.  If he had continued to play, he could have ended up physically disabled, which was the main reason he retired at the age of 29. 
 
The most easily injured parts for the center position are the knees, Achilles tendons and ankles.  The physical peak for basketball players should be around the age of 25, while the mental peak is around 30.  Many NBA players, such as Shaquille O’Neal and Patrick Ewing, retired at the ages of 36 and 37, but Yao Ming retired at his peak time, which is most regrettable
 
With the Chinese physique, if a child does not build up a good physical foundation, and later on joins the NBA in his adulthood, he will vulnerable to injury.  Therefore, a solid physical foundation while young is critical.  When Yao Ming was in the youth leagues he was tall, but rather thin, and compared with the physical quality of the European/American counterparts, he was relatively weak.