Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond Undergoes Surgery for Deviated Septum

Andre Drummond recently underwent a septoplasty surgery to correct a deviated septum. The Detroit Pistons’ center has established himself as a star early on in his professional career. He became the NBA’s leading rebound player and earned for himself a berth in an All-Star Game during a breakout 2015-16 season. More importantly, he helped the Pistons reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

However, not a lot of people know that Drummond has been playing using only one of his nostrils for the most part of his career. “Obviously you need both nostrils to play, but for me, I’m hard-headed and I didn’t want to (have surgery) until it was the right time to do it,” Drummond said.

Drummond Finally Arranges Surgery for Deviated Septum

Unfortunately, the most recent NBA season has been a huge disappointment for Drummond and the rest of the Pistons, with his free-throw shooting performance being a constant problem for the team. And for the first time in his professional career, Drummond’s name came up during the trade talks.

Because of this lukewarm performance, Drummond finally decided to push through with the surgery he has been postponing. “I never really had a chance to really sit down and do a surgery. Last year, we made the playoffs and the year before that, I went to the Olympics.”

Drummond’s problems with his nose started way back in college, when he was injured during practice, broke his nose, and suffered a concussion while playing for UConn. The deviated nose became worse as the years wore on. “This season was probably my toughest breathing year for me. It got progressively worse. My allergies were really bad and it was really hard for me to get that wind out there.”

After the regular NBA season concluded, Drummond went to New York City to finally have his deviated septum repaired through surgery.

Life After Surgery

After surgery, Drummond is now eager to put his career back on track during the off-season. “I’m not used to having both of my nostrils so I got to figure out how it feels to breathe through both nostrils. Right now, I’m doing just a little light exercise just to get myself going.”

A deviated septum happens when the thin wall that separates the two nasal cavities becomes crooked. This happens frequently to players of contact sports that can get very physical, such as basketball. The deviation could even reach a point where a person will have to breathe using only one nostril, something that Drummond has been doing.

A septoplasty procedure performed by a Los Angeles sinus doctor will fix the deviated septum. The biggest benefit that one will receive after surgery is improved breathing. Many people who have had their surgery done here at the Institute tell me they have had a lesser incidence of sinus infections, nosebleeds, and headaches.

Now that Drummond had his deviated septum finally repaired, many people are hoping that he can go back to his old form and bring the Detroit Pistons to greater heights.