Brook Lopez has surgery on broken foot

Photo credit: Associated Press

In the Nets' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on December 20th, Brook Lopez suffered another broken foot which has sidelined him for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. Today, Brook went to have his fourth surgery on the injury-riddled right foot of his. This time, doctors performed what is called a "first metatarsal osteotomy," which re-positioned the bones in his foot with hopes that this will save him from suffering career-ending foot injuries.

Nets' Brook Lopez had "first metatarsal osteotomy" on broken foot to reposition bones. That procedure once saved Zydrunas Ilgauskas' career.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) January 4, 2014

This surgery changes the arch of the foot, making it so less pressure will be placed on the fractured bone. Zydrunas Ilgauskas did have the same surgery, and it went on to add 10 more years to his career. After the surgery, he became one of the best and one of the most durable big men in the NBA.

The Nets hold hope that Lopez having this surgery will help him become the iron-man he once was until he broke his foot for the first time just before the 2011 season. Brook had never missed a game for three full seasons before the injury.

"With this procedure, we both fixed the broken bone (fifth metatarsal) in Brook's right foot and repositioned another bone, so that his sole of his foot will bear weight more evenly than before," says Dr. Riley Williams III, the Nets' team physician. 

 "The repositioning portion of the surgery lessens the stress of the fractured bone, and decreases the likelihood of re-injury in the future."

Before this most recent injury, Brook was potentially on his way to his second consecutive all-star game, as he was averaging 20.7 points, six rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. Now that he will miss the rest of the season, the Nets have to find a way to replace such a big presence. 

Source: ESPN New York
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