Willy Flores

ACL TEAR GRADE THREE The kid went down after a hit, he was complaining about serious knee pain. We went and asked for any history of knee pain in the past. He said that this was the first time that he has hurt his knee. His knee looks slightly unaligned. He shows signs of being extremely tender. While having the athlete check move his range of motion he says his knee feels really unstable and that it will give out really easily. I suspect an ACL tear. So I have the athlete sit down and I check his strength in his knee by assessing the healthy knee. His healthy knee was fairly strong in both forward and backward movement. Now I check his injured knee, it is much weaker than the other knee. Im suspecting a grade three ACL injury so I check see how easily the joint slips. The joint seems to move a large amount. I am going to splint the knee and send him the hospital for x-rays and an MRI. The X-rays confirm that he has a grade three ACL tear. The athlete has gone through surgery, and is now going to rehabilitation and physical therapy. The rehab is suspected to last four to six months. After that we will test his knee strength and see if he is comfortable enough to return. BROKEN NECK

During the football game a kid lowers his head and gets hit hard. He falls to the ground not moving. I go up to him and ask if he is doing okay, while he response I tell someone to call 9-1-1 and ask him to move his toes and fingers. I ask him where exactly it hurts and he says in the middle of his neck. I keep his neck midline stable and wait for the paramedics to come. Meanwhile I find out he was temporarily unconscious and I ask if he has any history of neck or head injuries and he said no. while talking to him I am trying to keep him calm and conscious. When the paramedics come they put him on a back board and send him to the ER. While at the hospital they take X-rays and discover he has a neck injury and tell him that the treatment will depend on which of the seven cervical vertebrae are damaged and the kind of fracture sustained. A minor compression fracture can be treated with a cervical brace worn for 6 to 8 weeks until the bone heals. A more complex or extensive fracture may require traction, surgery, and internal fixation, 2 to 3 months in a rigid cast, or a combination of these treatments. He may or may not return to football ever. Depending on the severity.