Indiana Fever fans witnessed heartbreak on Tuesday (July 15) during the team’s game against the Connecticut Sun as star player Caitlin Clark seemed to re-aggravate a previous groin injury during the final 40 seconds of play, which forced her to the bench. Although the fever managed to end the day on a happy note by winning 85-77, Clark’s long-term future amid rampant injuries this season has left all concerned.
Caitlin Clark sits out Wednesday's game
As a result of re-injuring her groin injury, Clark was forced to sit out the Fever’s Wednesday (July 16) game against the New York Liberty. The team announced the same via a social media post that went up right before the game.
“Status Update for tonight's game against New York: Caitlin Clark - Out (right groin),” wrote the team’s official handle.
She was previously listed as questionable for playing the game following her injury on Tuesday. At the time, head coach Stephanie White had confirmed the news by saying that Clark had “felt a little something in her groin” and she “will get it evaluated and see what happens from there”.
{{/usCountry}}She was previously listed as questionable for playing the game following her injury on Tuesday. At the time, head coach Stephanie White had confirmed the news by saying that Clark had “felt a little something in her groin” and she “will get it evaluated and see what happens from there”.
{{/usCountry}}This season has spelled doom for Caitlin Clark as far as injuries are concerned. Wednesday marks the eleventh game Clark has had to sit out this season due to injuries- a career high record for her. She previously suffered an injury to her left groin and quad.
Sports medicine physician weighs in
In response to the Fever’s official announcement, sports medicine physician and CEO of The Injury Expertz, Dr Jesse Morse, weighed in on the situation.
Also read: Caitlin Clark out of All-Star weekend: Here's who can replace Fever star in three-point contest
“Caitlin Clark appears to have reaggravated her right adductor/groin strain. The tricky part about groin strains is they are a very slow healing tissue, easy to reinjure, and constantly required for anything involving the legs. Sometimes even shutting them down for a couple weeks isn’t enough,” she wrote on social media.
“I’ve had good luck with injecting these specifically at where the adductor (usually longus) tendon attaches to the pubic bone with stem cells, ideally allografts, as weaker and inflammatory options like PRP are usually not strong enough and caused too much downtime. These are quite common in NFL players. Whatever the medical staff is doing right now is unfortunately not enough.”
Clark is also out of the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis on Saturday (July 19).
By Stuti Gupta