L’thabo Sports Medicine

ProAthlete turned Sports Medicine Physiatrist (Bio (RSA), PGDip SEM (UK)) treating some of the world’s greatest talent. #LethaboSportsMedicine

[Anastasios Makris @AnastasiosMakr4]

Aerobic vs Anaerobic 🧵 with pics

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

But if there’s injury to an organ (spleen, lung or anything else) the recovery process can most certainly be longer depending on the extent of the damage. For now we have to wait and hear what comes from the Dolphins locker room and medical team regarding Tua and his return.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

Today I wanna look an injury that occurred in the NFL this past week.
Rib injury sustained by Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailo. After being tackled, Tua hits the ground pretty hard with the left side of his body and can send wincing in pain when trying to get up.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

This is based on when the player’s pain is negligible (no soreness, can breathe comfortably and can do football activities) and there is no need for a full recovery of the ribs for Tua to play.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

Regarding the healing of set injury, there’s a spectrum of time as it is dependent on severity of dislocation, ligament sprain and degree of fracture (if any).
Long term this is not a career ending injury but does possess the potential of being career altering.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

Harvey Elliot’s left ankle injury over the weekend was a scary sight to say the least.
Whilst chasing down the ball, he gets tackled and his left ankle gets caught up behind him during this tackle.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

When looking at Elliot’s foot post the tackle, you can see a clear stepdown between the tibia and ankle with the foot dangling and pointing outwards.
It is very rare (possible but rare) to purely have a dislocation of the ankle, hence the suggestion of a possible fracture.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

As previously mentioned, anytime one is dealing with a “wrist fracture” there are so many possibilities due to the vast articulating surfaces. LaMelo is said to be going for a 2nd opinion, so one can only wait to hear the final diagnosis in the coming days.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

The term “wrist fracture” can be confusing and more often than not vague due to the number of bones in and around the wrist area.
After undergoing an MRI, NBA Rookie sensation LaMelo Ball has been diagnosed with a R. wrist fracture

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

Looking at the mechanism of injury, and taking into account tweets from Woj, a scaphoid fracture is high on the diagnostic differential list. Should this be the case, then the medical team has to consider the possibilities of delayed healing due to the blood flow in this area.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

Typically recovery time from such an injury is anything from 6 to 8 weeks with the potential of being longer if there is severe damage. LeBron has been dubbed the most “durable athlete in basketball” by Skip Bayless, so it will be interesting to see how long he sits for.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

NBA league MVP favourite LeBron James leaves the court in a game against the Atlanta Hawks after suffering a scary looking R. ankle eversion sprain.

[L’thabo Sports Medicine @IamLethabo]

According to league sources, LeBron has suffered a high ankle sprain (after MRI investigation) with no timeline for return. High ankle sprains (also known as tib/fib sprains) are as a result of injury to the ligaments that hold the two leg bones together on top of the ankle.