Mickael Pietrus' fall versus Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Mickael Pietrus will spend the night in Philadelphia after suffering a questionable closed head injury (concussion). Reading from a piece of paper after the team's medical staff gave him an update, Rivers said Pietrus had undergone an X-ray and a CT scan at a Philadelphia-area hospital. Pietrus was also scheduled for an MRI Friday night, but the team said he will not be admitted to the hospital. Pietrus will spend the night in Philadelphia and be re-evaluated on Saturday. Rivers admitted it was a frightening scene on the court: "It looked awful," Rivers said. "I saw it immediately -- I didn't think he hit his head, I wasn't sure, but I just saw his neck snap, so you knew that was bad. Obviously, he was throwing up on the floor, so that wasn't very good, either."

 

A closed head injury, according to the Brain and Spinal Cord website, is "a trauma in which the brain is injured as a result of a blow to the head, or a sudden, violent motion that causes the brain to knock against the skull. A closed head injury is different from an open head injury, in that no object actually penetrates the brain. "Closed head injuries can be diffuse, meaning that they affect cells and tissues throughout the brain; or focal, meaning that the damage occurs in one area. Closed head injuries can range from mild to severe."

 

Marquis Daniels endured a frighteningly similar scene last year suffering a freak spine injury that ended his season in a game against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Daniels required offseason surgery for a lifelong spine condition. He admitted the situations are different, but seeing Pietrus carted off certainly resonated for him:

"I just started praying immediately," Daniels said. "You never like to see anybody down like that, let alone your teammate. It's kind of a tough moment, but he's a tough guy. He's going to pull through."

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7730016/boston-celtics-guard-mickael-pietrus-taken-hospital-leaving-court-stretcher

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Celtics' Mickael Pietrus 'lucky man':

 

Initial tests performed Friday night on Boston Celtics guard Mickael Pietrus suggest he escaped serious head injury. Pietrus' agent, William McCandless, said Saturday that he was informed the X-ray and CT scans administered Friday night revealed no abnormalities, though Pietrus might have a concussion. Although Pietrus will undergo more tests and is waiting for conclusive results from an MRI, there's optimism he will indeed return to the court this season. Pietrus took to Twitter on Saturday to thank fans for the outpouring of support and noted he hoped to be "back with my C's soon." Pietrus suffered the injury when he crashed hard to the floor Friday night during the second quarter of the Celtics' 99-86 loss in Philadelphia. He was immobilized and taken from the court on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital.

 

"He was a very lucky man," said McCandless, who spoke with Pietrus and said the player's first question to an assistant at McCandless' agency was who won the game. Pietrus was not admitted to the hospital, but spent the night in the area. He flew home Saturday afternoon to Boston, where he will be re-evaluated by the Celtics' medical staff.

 

"He's in very good spirits," Raoul Ramdine, Pietrus' business manager, told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher. "We're taking this seriously and we don't know quite what it is yet, but he's OK."

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7731396/agent-says-boston-celtics-mickael-pietrus-escaped-serious-head-injury

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Pietrus Not Near Returning -- Coach: Mickael Pietrus 'out a while':

 

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics swingman Mickael Pietrus is still feeling the effects of a frightening concussion suffered in a fall last month in Philadelphia and is "going to be out a while," coach Doc Rivers said Sunday.

 

Rivers said Pietrus suffered a Grade III concussion (the most serious classification), and is still suffering from concussion symptoms, especially light sensitivity, and his timetable for returning to the court is uncertain.

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com