The Wall Street Journal highlights how Martin J. O'Malley, MD, foot and ankle surgeon at HSS, helped Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has returned to the court less than a year after an Achilles rupture during the NBA playoffs. 

As he watched Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum roll on the floor gripping his ankle, Dr. O’Malley’s worst fear—and professional opinion—was that Tatum had torn his Achilles tendon. In one agonizing moment, Boston’s hopes of repeating as champions crumbled on the hardwood.

The difference between Dr. O’Malley and the millions of others who happened to witness Tatum’s moment of misery was that Dr. O’Malley would soon be in a position to do something about it. 

Minutes after the tear, his phone lit up with a call. The Celtics needed him to salvage the face of their franchise.

“As soon as the Achilles ruptures, things are going the wrong way,” said Dr. O’Malley. “You get atrophy, change in physiology from the minute you rupture it. The best thing to do is to fix it faster.”

Sixteen hours after Tatum was writhing on the court against the New York Knicks, he was stretched out on Dr. O’Malley’s operating table. Today, less than a year after suffering basketball’s most dreaded injury, he has done more than simply return to the court sooner than anyone expected.

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