Hamlin incident prompts focus on high-profile sports injuries

The sports world was in for a shock on January 2, 2023, when 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and was revived during a game. The incident ramped up the ongoing conversation about the high toll of football (and sports in general) on the human body.

Unfortunately, sports injuries are a common cause of disability and, more rarely, death. The following are four sports injuries occurring between 2019–2022 that drew national attention and prompted analysis of the potential dangers of competitive sports.

Kevin Durant: Ruptured Achilles

Playing for the Golden State Warriors during the 2019 NBA finals, small forward Kevin Durant tore his Achilles tendon.^[]

Both fans and players were alarmed, and the timing of the injury couldn’t have been worse. Durant had already missed nine games in a row due to a calf sprain, and the Warriors were trailing Toronto 3–1 in the championship series. Just 12 minutes into his return, Durant went down with a torn Achilles.

Durant has a long history of lower limb injuries, with a medial collateral ligament sprain sidelining him in 2017. After the Achilles rupture, Durant ended up missing the 2019–2020 season, returning with the Brooklyn Nets for the 2020–2021 season.^[]

Achilles tendon rupture commonly affects men aged between 30–50 years, according to research published by American Family Physician.^[] It can present with an audible “pop” at the level of the injury, accompanied by severe pain, according to an article published by StatPearls.^[]

Treatment can be either medical or surgical. Both serial casting/functional bracing and surgery have good outcomes, although the return to work takes longer for patients receiving medical interventions. Nonoperative treatments are preferred for individuals with greater comorbidities and a sedentary lifestyle, as per the StatPearls research.

Samantha Cerio: Dislocated knees

While competing in an April 2019 NCAA gymnastics regional competition, Samantha Cerio dislocated both her knees and tore multiple ligaments during a floor routine.^[] In media reports, Cerio called the injury a “small setback”—despite having to retire from the sport and postpone both her graduation from Auburn University and her wedding.

That summer, Cerio overcame the setback to walk the graduation stage using crutches and, later, down the aisle unassisted.

Physicians should be on the lookout for dire complications including vascular injury and compartment syndrome. Patellar dislocations usually don’t require immediate surgical or vascular interventions.

Teddy Balkind: Lethal laceration

The death of 16-year-old Teddy Balkind following an unspecified neck laceration sustained during a January 2022 junior varsity ice hockey game sent shockwaves well beyond the community of St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, CT.^[] The NHL even commemorated the young athlete’s death.

As reported by CBS News, Balkind’s death stoked the call for all players to wear neck guards.^[] As of February 2023, they are only required for goalies.

USA Hockey issued a formal statement on “neck laceration protectors” in 2022. Here are some highlights:^[]

• Existing neck laceration protector designs do not eliminate the risk of injury, with 27% of players experiencing these lacerations while wearing a neck guard.

• Most neck lacerations recorded are superficial (61%) and only require neck bandaging.

• Damage to the neck guard is not an indicator of resistance to lacerations.

• Neck guards can shrink after washing, thus covering less surface area and offering less protection.

• Neck protectors containing Spectra fibers were most resistant to cuts.

Tua Tagovailoa: Multiple concussions

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa holds the distinction of being one of a handful of NFL players to sustain multiple concussions during one season.

In a game against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day 2022, he experienced his second confirmed concussion for that season, as well as a third serious blow to the head, as reported by CBS Sports.^[]

Because he didn’t show concussion symptoms, his injury did not trigger concussion protocols, and he wasn’t evaluated until the following day when he did show symptoms.

Researchers representing a consortium of Division 1 schools argued that concussions in football could be reduced by limiting risk during the preseason in an article published by JAMA Neurology.^[]

The investigators found that in the five seasons between 2015 and 2019, there were 528,684 head impacts recorded among 658 Division 1 football players, with each player sustaining a median of 415 recorded head impacts each season.

Overall, 68 players experienced a diagnosed concussion, with 48.5% of the concussions happening during the preseason, which represented only 20.8% of the full season. Similarly, HIEs occurred twice as often during the preseason vs the regular season.

“These data point to a powerful opportunity for policy, education, and other prevention strategies to make the greatest overall reduction in concussion incidence and HIE in college football, particularly during preseason training and football practices throughout the season, without major modification to game play,” the JAMA Neurology authors wrote.