D’Tigress star Ezinne Kalu set to undergo surgery, out for six months

Nigerian basketball player Ezinne Kalu will today undergo a knee surgery, Sportinglife.ng reports.

The D’Tigress point guard, who suffered MCL (medial collateral ligament) and PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) injuries while on duty for her club Landerneau Bretagne Basket on the 30th of October, is expecting to be out of action for six months.

“Tore my PCL/MCL in a game on October 30th, I will be getting surgery this coming Thursday! I will return back to the court in 6 months maybe sooner! Please everyone pray for a successful procedure. Thank you,” she announced via her Twitter account.

With this development, the 29-year-old will miss the Women’s World Cup 2022 Qualifying Tournament happening in February next year but she’s expected to be available should her country secure her place at the FIBA World Cup holding in Australia between 22nd, September and 1st, October, 2022.

Kalu led Nigeria to a historic place in the Quarter-Finals at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2018 and in 2019, she was crowned MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, contributing immensely to D’Tigress’ three straight championships success.

According to OrthoNeuro.com, the MCL (medial collateral ligament) and PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) are two of the four ligaments (ACL, MCL, PCL, and LCL) that provide stability to the knee as well as prevent the knee from moving too far in a specific direction.

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The MCL is a ligament on the inside of the knee.  It prevents your knee from bending inward (valgus).  The MCL can be injured during activities that involve bending and twisting, or quick changes in direction.  It can also be damaged from a direct blow to the outside of the knee.

The PCL is located in the back of the knee and keeps the shinbone (tibia) from moving too far backwards at the knee. Injury to the PCL requires a significant amount of force.