Golden State Warriors

What is a torn ACL? Former Warriors surgeon demonstrates what happened to Klay Thompson's knee

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Former Warriors surgeon explains what happened to Klay Thompson's knee

John Belzer was the Warriors orthopedic surgeon from 2001-2009. He demonstrates what happened to Klay's knee when he went down and how long it should take for him to recover.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- After seeing Klay Thompson's injury in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, many people are wondering, "what is the recovery time for a torn ACL?"

John Belzer was the Warriors orthopedic surgeon from 2001 to 2009.

He joined ABC7's Larry Beil to demonstrate what happened to Thompson's knee when he went down and to explain the road to recovery.

"This is a major surgical procedure, technically a little more difficult than an Achilles, but the recovery is the same amount of time as an Achilles will be," Belzer said.

This means about nine months to a year, he said.

Using a model of the bones and tendons that make up the infrastructure of a human knee, Doctor Belzer showed how Thompson is at a "mechanical disadvantage" when he lands.

He also cleared the air that Thompson's previous hamstring injury has "no connection to this injury whatsoever."

So will the Splash Brother be back on the court for next post-season? Watch the video above to hear from Doctor Belzer.

See more stories, videos and injury updates from the Golden State Warriors.

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