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Richards is expected to be out for 2-3 months, and although this is a blow for the defender who was beginning to find form after missing the first few games of the season, the injury could have been and did initially look a lot worse.
I own a few medical books and this along with the aid of google enables me to attempt to walk you through what Micah has actually damaged.
Welcome to a medical bulletin.
The Injury
Micah has a damaged meniscus in his right knee. The picture above shows us where this cartilage is located.
What does cartilage do?
As we can see in the picture above, meniscus cartilage acts as a buffer or a shock absorber between the femur and tibia and cushions those two bones in what is the largest joint in the human body, the knee.
This meniscus tears due to a number of possible reasons. It can be an impact injury, although this is rare, but is more likely to be a twist or hyper extension that causes the meniscus to be damaged. How bad the damage is depends on the type and size of the tear.
Treatment
Micah has undergone surgery which indicates that the tear must be relatively serious. A common and simple surgery takes place which looks like this:
and this, which features the meniscus being surgically repaired.
Post surgery rehab will include a period of rest and elevation of the joint before rehabilitation takes place. No long term damage is expected.
Get well soon Micah