Elder's injury was topic of conversation

ATLANTA - B.J. Elder saw the looks and heard the questions.

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Georgia Tech classmates studied his walk. Fans whispered about him and rolled their eyes.

The boldest asked him straight out: What's the big deal about a pulled hamstring?

"I heard it often enough I started tuning it out. I heard it so much I got tired of it," said Elder, who returned to the court Tuesday against Clemson after missing five weeks because of his injury. "I don't think many fully understand it."

Few outside of the medical community comprehend the severity of injuries like strained hamstrings and groins and high ankle sprains. After all, athletes nowadays can undergo surgical procedures like arthroscopic knee operations one day and return to action a few days later.

Skepticism over injuries like Elder's is natural. Most basketball fans have tweaked a hammy or rolled an ankle while playing on the playground or at the local gym. And after a day or two and a trip to the sporting goods store to buy a brace or a wrap, they're back on the court.

For well-conditioned athletes who push their bodies to the physical limit every day, though, those types of injuries can be complicated.

Elder and his teammates have better than average flexibility - the Jackets stretch out before and after every practice and game and also attend yoga classes. When one of them strains a muscle, recovery requires more than a regimen of heat and ice.

"Your hamstring is an explosive muscle," said Tim Hansen, an athletic trainer at Georgia Tech and the man overseeing Elder's recovery.

"It extends your hip and also flexes your knee. It helps decelerate your body."

Elder suffered his injury in a New Year's Day game against Kansas.

He extended his body to catch a pass while on a fast break and felt the strength in his upper right leg give out.

Strains are measured in three grades: Grade 1 refers to a slight tear of the muscle tissue; Grade 2 is a more significant tear; and Grade 3 is a full rupture of the tissue.

Elder's injury qualified as a Grade 2 strain.

Elder scored 11 points in 20 minutes in his return Tuesday and led Georgia Tech to a victory over Clemson.

He said he felt nothing more than fatigue in his hamstring after the game and will likely play more minutes in today's game against North Carolina State.

Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 589-8424 or adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.