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The Return of the Power Post

Central High School's Kentrevious Jones recovers from a severe fracture just in time for a new season

Kentrevious Jones has been passionate about basketball ever since the sixth grade. Towering at just under seven feet tall, he certainly has the build for it. Andre Taylor, head basketball coach at Central High School, said Jones was really starting to come into his own in his sophomore year when disaster struck. He broke his fibula just two games after the regular season.

Jones was devastated and afraid it might take him out of the game for good.

“When the injury happened, it was hard to see him so upset,” said Coach Taylor. “He had really been improving that season, it was like a switch had gone off.”

Jones followed the advice of Piedmont ATC Tee Spinks and made an appointment to see Dr. Ryan DeCoons, an orthopaedic surgeon.

“I remember Jones being extremely upset about suffering this season-ending injury,” Dr. DeCoons said. “I told him and his family that we would get him back on the court in the 2015-16 season and he would still have a basketball career in front of him. I could tell that they immediately bought into this plan, and I had no doubt that with his determination  - and the support of his parents - that he would have a great outcome.”

His gut was correct: Jones never missed a follow-up appointment or therapy visit and followed every post-op instruction. He is back on the court and excited for his junior year as a Charger.

It wasn’t an easy road to recovery. In addition to fracturing his fibula, he also ruptured surrounding ligaments, which made it more unstable than a simple fracture. Dr. DeCoons fixed the fracture with a special suture device that passes between the two bones and stabilizes the ankle in the right position while the ligaments heal. He chose this device because it does not have the risk of breaking or requiring a second surgery to be removed, which is often the case when a screw is used to treat a ligament injury.

Jones then had six months of physical therapy with Piedmont’s Heath Mills.

“Heath makes you feel like you’re at home,” Jones said. “But at times I wanted to quit. I couldn’t because I’ve got to play basketball.”

Jones said that at first, it felt like therapy was moving really slow, then all of the sudden it started to move faster.

“We didn’t want to rush, we took it step by step,” Jones said. “I want everything 100% better before I tried to get back out on the court.”

He was finally cleared to play on September 1 and has been practicing ever since.

Coach Taylor can see a mental change in his young player.

“Physical therapy has really worked on him mentally. He’s not shying away from work, he’s really willing to put it in,” Taylor said.

Jones’s advice on conquering physical therapy is simple: “you gotta do it. If you want to get right, you gotta do it.”

Dr. DeCoons, who played basketball in high school himself as his team’s shutdown defender, has really enjoyed watching Jones’s comeback.

“It has been very satisfying watching him progress through his recovery,” said Dr. DeCoons. “I look forward to watching him on the court this season as he showcases his skills for the college scouts.”

Jones said he would love to play Division I basketball, but first, win a state championship.

“Get ready to come to the Coliseum to see me play,” he said.

posted 05/01/2017 in Sports Medicine

Tags: sports medicine, fracture, central high school, kentrevious jones, patient success story, testimonial

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