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Jun. 16—Can I keep the rib?
That was the first question Jason Jakstys asked his doctors after they described why surgery was necessary to treat his recently diagnosed venous thoracic outlet syndrome and why removing his first rib was the fix.
Jakstys ultimately didn't get to keep his surgically-removed rib, but the successful thoracic outlet surgery dealt with the issue that created the blood clot that ended Jakstys' season this past January. The 6-foot-10 Illinois forward has been medically cleared and is ready for summer workouts to resume this week ahead of the 2026-27 season.
"He recovered phenomenally well, which is great," said Dr. Andrew Arndt, who performed Jakstys' surgery earlier this year at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. Arndt is the director of thoracic surgery with the Canning Thoracic Institute
"I think that's a testament to his own motivation," Arndt continued about Jakstys' recovery. "He wasn't about to let this hold him back or beat him down. He looks fantastic, and his prognosis is great. Operating is a more successful outcome and has a very high likelihood of preventing a future clot and getting him off and keeping him off blood thinners."
The first sign Jakstys got that something was wrong with his left arm came Jan. 20. Discomfort in his shoulder during class was brushed off as sitting for 4 hours. That it was just stiff and not a problem.
Jakstys practiced that same day with no further concern. Illinois played Maryland the next day, and Jakstys played 6 minutes off the bench in an 89-70 victory against the Terrapins. That same discomfort in his left shoulder got progressively worse throughout the game.
Jakstys spoke with Illinois athletic trainer Justin Games after the game and got a series of stretches to help with the shoulder pain. A light practice was scheduled for the following day. The first signs that something serious might be wrong with Jakstys' shoulder came in the weight room.
"I get in the weight room and start lifting weights — don't even go heavy — and my arm starts bulging up," Jakstys said. "It becomes red and the veins are bulging."
Jakstys finished practice that day before the Illinois staff told him he needed to have his shoulder checked by a doctor. That was the first time a blood clot was mentioned as a possibility, but the hope was for a simple shoulder impingement.
"The next day we get an ultrasound, and I find out it was a blood clot," Jakstys said. "Season over all in the span of three days. It was crazy. Definitely surprised. Devastated. I put in two years of hard work, and in a moment of seconds your season's over. It was kind of unfortunate to hear that."
Jakstys was immediately put on blood thinners to address the clot. He also underwent venography where a thrombectomy was performed to clean out the clot.
"Then, pretty darn quickly, we got him into surgery to remove the rib, remove that obstruction," Arndt said. "When things move quickly, the success rate is very high. Patients are able to get off blood thinners. They're able to be clot-free for the rest of their life."
The majority of cases of thoracic outlet syndrome — between 90-95 percent — are caused by nerve compression. The thoracic outlet, or space where nerves, arteries and veins run out of your chest or lower next toward the arm, are compressed and lead to pain, numbness, tingling and weakness.
About 5 percent of cases are venous, which almost always cause blood clots. Repetitive use is a common cause, which is why venous thoracic outlet syndrome is seen in basketball and baseball players — pitchers in particular — along with violinists and flautists.
"There's just physically a pinch point between the first rib and the clavicle," Arndt said. "The vein gets pinched and causes a blood clot because of lack of flow. The treatment for it is very definitively to take out the first rib.
"It was probably building up in time, and (Jakstys) didn't know about it, but the problem itself tends to show up fairly acutely. As long as it's promptly recognized and treated, it tends to be pretty successfully treated."
Jakstys said he slept most of the day following his surgery before being discharged to return home. While he felt some discomfort, it didn't reach the level he expected having a rib removed.
"A little over a week, I was getting that itch," Jakstys said. "I'm sitting in bed. I'm at home. I wanted to do something. Within a month, I was shooting and doing anything I could besides weight lifting and playing."
Jakstys embraced getting surgery as early as possible because he wanted to be with Illinois during the NCAA tournament. Missing games wasn't an option. While he would have preferred to be fully healthy and on the court, he got to be with the Illini as they made their Final Four run through Houston and Indianapolis.
"I felt great and horrible for him at the same time," Arndt said. "The team was there, but he wasn't a part of it — on the court at least. I loved following their run, and I hope they have more to come. I hope he's part of that, too, and he should be. That's what's so neat about the ability to get this going quickly and have him recover quickly."
Jakstys has been able to get work in on the court the past few weeks gearing up for his return to Champaign and the start of summer workouts.
"I've been trying to work out with my dad and go to some open runs," he said. "We've got a lot of guys coming back. The goal is to get back to the tournament again this year and make a big run."
Continue reading...
That was the first question Jason Jakstys asked his doctors after they described why surgery was necessary to treat his recently diagnosed venous thoracic outlet syndrome and why removing his first rib was the fix.
Jakstys ultimately didn't get to keep his surgically-removed rib, but the successful thoracic outlet surgery dealt with the issue that created the blood clot that ended Jakstys' season this past January. The 6-foot-10 Illinois forward has been medically cleared and is ready for summer workouts to resume this week ahead of the 2026-27 season.
"He recovered phenomenally well, which is great," said Dr. Andrew Arndt, who performed Jakstys' surgery earlier this year at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. Arndt is the director of thoracic surgery with the Canning Thoracic Institute
"I think that's a testament to his own motivation," Arndt continued about Jakstys' recovery. "He wasn't about to let this hold him back or beat him down. He looks fantastic, and his prognosis is great. Operating is a more successful outcome and has a very high likelihood of preventing a future clot and getting him off and keeping him off blood thinners."
The first sign Jakstys got that something was wrong with his left arm came Jan. 20. Discomfort in his shoulder during class was brushed off as sitting for 4 hours. That it was just stiff and not a problem.
Jakstys practiced that same day with no further concern. Illinois played Maryland the next day, and Jakstys played 6 minutes off the bench in an 89-70 victory against the Terrapins. That same discomfort in his left shoulder got progressively worse throughout the game.
Jakstys spoke with Illinois athletic trainer Justin Games after the game and got a series of stretches to help with the shoulder pain. A light practice was scheduled for the following day. The first signs that something serious might be wrong with Jakstys' shoulder came in the weight room.
"I get in the weight room and start lifting weights — don't even go heavy — and my arm starts bulging up," Jakstys said. "It becomes red and the veins are bulging."
Jakstys finished practice that day before the Illinois staff told him he needed to have his shoulder checked by a doctor. That was the first time a blood clot was mentioned as a possibility, but the hope was for a simple shoulder impingement.
"The next day we get an ultrasound, and I find out it was a blood clot," Jakstys said. "Season over all in the span of three days. It was crazy. Definitely surprised. Devastated. I put in two years of hard work, and in a moment of seconds your season's over. It was kind of unfortunate to hear that."
Jakstys was immediately put on blood thinners to address the clot. He also underwent venography where a thrombectomy was performed to clean out the clot.
"Then, pretty darn quickly, we got him into surgery to remove the rib, remove that obstruction," Arndt said. "When things move quickly, the success rate is very high. Patients are able to get off blood thinners. They're able to be clot-free for the rest of their life."
The majority of cases of thoracic outlet syndrome — between 90-95 percent — are caused by nerve compression. The thoracic outlet, or space where nerves, arteries and veins run out of your chest or lower next toward the arm, are compressed and lead to pain, numbness, tingling and weakness.
About 5 percent of cases are venous, which almost always cause blood clots. Repetitive use is a common cause, which is why venous thoracic outlet syndrome is seen in basketball and baseball players — pitchers in particular — along with violinists and flautists.
"There's just physically a pinch point between the first rib and the clavicle," Arndt said. "The vein gets pinched and causes a blood clot because of lack of flow. The treatment for it is very definitively to take out the first rib.
"It was probably building up in time, and (Jakstys) didn't know about it, but the problem itself tends to show up fairly acutely. As long as it's promptly recognized and treated, it tends to be pretty successfully treated."
Jakstys said he slept most of the day following his surgery before being discharged to return home. While he felt some discomfort, it didn't reach the level he expected having a rib removed.
"A little over a week, I was getting that itch," Jakstys said. "I'm sitting in bed. I'm at home. I wanted to do something. Within a month, I was shooting and doing anything I could besides weight lifting and playing."
Jakstys embraced getting surgery as early as possible because he wanted to be with Illinois during the NCAA tournament. Missing games wasn't an option. While he would have preferred to be fully healthy and on the court, he got to be with the Illini as they made their Final Four run through Houston and Indianapolis.
"I felt great and horrible for him at the same time," Arndt said. "The team was there, but he wasn't a part of it — on the court at least. I loved following their run, and I hope they have more to come. I hope he's part of that, too, and he should be. That's what's so neat about the ability to get this going quickly and have him recover quickly."
Jakstys has been able to get work in on the court the past few weeks gearing up for his return to Champaign and the start of summer workouts.
"I've been trying to work out with my dad and go to some open runs," he said. "We've got a lot of guys coming back. The goal is to get back to the tournament again this year and make a big run."
Continue reading...
