Kevin Durant undergoes surgery for injured foot, will be re-evaluated in 6 weeks

After days of pondering his next move, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant elected to undergo surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot, the team announced. His recovery will be re-evaluated in six weeks. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson at the OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Clinic in Charlotte, N.C.

Surgery was always the most likely outcome for Durant, but he waited five days before ultimately going under the knife.

A Jones fracture refers to a break in the middle part of the fifth metatarsal, which connects to the little toe. Most Jones fracture cases are resolved in 6-8 weeks, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Sunday. It’s important to note that the Thunder aren’t saying Durant will return in six weeks, only that he’ll be re-evaluated at that point.

Dr. David Geier, an orthopedic surgeon not associated with Durant’s specific case, told SB Nation’s Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City that the threat of re-injury after the surgery is minimal provided it is performed successfully:

Generally this surgery has good success rates, even in top athletes. If the fracture heals, there should be little risk of any limitations on an athlete’s performance on the court or field. There is little risk of this fracture leading an athlete to suffer another injury. The most likely negative outcome would be that the fracture does not heal. On rare occasions, even with surgery, a nonunion occurs. In those cases the surgeon can remove the screw that was placed down the center of the bone and replace it with a bigger one. He might also add some bone graft from the hip or another area into the fracture site.