Celtics Title Town

I won't get wrapped up in false hope just yet. But this is the latest about Rondo's injury.

The agent for Rajon Rondo tells CSNNE.com that the torn ACL injury suffered by Rondo is a partial tear, opening the door for him to possibly return to the floor sooner than anticipated.

Following the injury, Rondo's timetable to return to action was expected to be sometime before the start of next season.

"It's still too early to tell for sure," his agent Bill Duffy told CSNNE.com. "But we are very optimistic about his return now that we know his injury is only a partial tear and not a full tear."

Since he suffered the injury, Duffy said Rondo has been educating himself on all his options from which type of surgery to have performed to who will be the doctor performing it.

CSNNE.com reported earlier that the famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews was among the physicians Rondo planned to speak with before making a decision on the best course of action to take. 

Rondo was at the TD Garden during Boston's blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers, wearing workout clothes. 

It is unclear what, if any, conditioning work he did while in the building.

First, and foremost I want Rondo to be healthy, and not to rush back. I honestly believe Rondo is dieing to get back, and why wouldn't he? His team has shown what they're capable of doing. Can they capture that with Rondo back on the court? First things first. Can Rondo actually make it back before the playoffs? Is that even humanly possible?

Ask the Docs | Partial ACL Tears

Patient Question:

What is your opinion regarding treatment of partial tears of the ACL? I was diagnosed 6 weeks ago with a 30% tear of the ACL, but no one seems willing to reconstruct it. I am a professional dancer and I need my knee to be 100%–without a brace. I have heard that a partial ACL tear will continue to tear under strenuous activity. Is this true?

Dr. Kathleen Weber:

Any athlete dreads an injury to their ACL tendon, or anterior cruciate ligament. The ACL is one of the major ligaments that runs down your leg and is responsible for the stability of your knee. What most people don’t know is that there are two types of ACL tears: a partial tear and a full tear. Somewhat deceiving is the fact that diagnosing and treating a partial ACL tear is often more difficult than with a full tear.

If a patient has a full tear of their ACL it is usually a case for reconstructive surgery. However, a partial tear needs to go through testing to make a final decision whether surgery is necessary. These tests include an instability test, a Lachman test (pivoting), and an MRI scan. All of these tests combined with the orthopaedic surgeon’s opinion and a possible scope of the ligament will be the deciding factor if reconstructive surgery is necessary.

I was wondering what the difference was between a torn, and partial tear of an ACL. If Rondo doesn't need surgery what does that mean for this season. Danny has made it clear. The timetable is the same. But when it comes to injuries with this Celtics team. I never know what to believe.