Orthopedic Injuries of Celebrities

On Sundays while reading the sports page or perusing through the Internet, you come across articles regarding athletes who have been injured during a sporting event, but did ever stop to think about the entertainment industry? Well, if you think about it, there are quite a few injuries that occur while on stage, or even in their off time while they were horseback riding. We compiled a list of orthopedic injuries in both the sports and entertainment genres to note that sometimes, unexpected injuries can occur, even to famous sports and entertainment legends.

Pink – During her Funhouse Tour in 2009, the famous singer-songwriter separated her shoulder while on a trapeze.

Jennifer Grey – She had back surgery in 2012 to repair a ruptured disc in her back while performing on Dancing with the Stars season finale.

Liza Minnelli – Years of dancing caught up with her and had knee replacement surgery in 2010.

Bono – U2 singer Bono underwent emergency back surgery in May 2012. His injury – Severe compression of the sciatic nerve and a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc.

Dana Torres – Olympic Medal Swimmer had undergone a cutting-edge procedure on her knee to repair severe arthritis in 2010.

Phil Collins – He had surgery to repair a dislocated neck vertebrae in April 2009.

Soledad O’Brien – She injured herself on a horseback riding excursion and tore out her knee and had reconstructive surgery.

Big Boi – The Rapper hurt himself in a performance at the Summer Camp Fest in Chillicothe, IL. He jumped and landed badly and had torn a patella tendon.

Peyton Manning – During the 2011 NFL season, he had neck surgery.

Lance Armstrong – He had a cycling accident in 2009 with a clavicle fracture.

Tom Brady – In the 2008 NFL season had an ACL tear.

Joe Paterno – Former football coach of Penn state had a tibial plateau fracture.

Floyd Landis – The cyclist had surgery for his hip osteonecrosis.

Frankie Hejduk – MLS player had an ACL tear repaired.

Ronald Reagan – Former President of the United States had work done for his hip fracture.

Donovan McNabb – During the 2005 NFL season, he had work done to repair his sports hernia.

Drew Brees – In the 2005 NFL season he had a shoulder dislocation.

Gwyneth Paltrow – She had broken her knee and it was discovered that she had osteopenia, a pre-cursor to osteoporosis.

Kobe Bryant – Basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers underwent surgery to repair a torn left Achilles tendon back in April 2013.

Misty May-Treanor – Olympian and volleyball superstar underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon back in October 2008 when she injured herself while rehearsing a dance routine for the television series Dancing With The Stars.

Dr. Reed notes, “Even celebrities have orthopedic ailments. From sprains, to fractures, to arthritis no one is immune. At Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle we treat all orthopedic conditions, from the everyman to the celebrity.”

5 Common Hockey Injuries

Hockey photo

The regular NHL season is well underway and the Seattle Thunderbirds are respectively improving their stats with their recent win over the Vancouver Giants at ShoWare Center.

In the regular season as well as the off season, players experience a variety of sports-related injuries as a result. Ice hockey is a contact sport where the players and the puck move at high speeds, so when players run into each other or objects, great force is used. This is why hockey is considered a collision sport. Injuries are fairly common, but efforts can be made to avoid them with training and proper equipment. Listed below are five common injuries that can occur while playing hockey.

AC Joint Injury

The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is one of the joints in the shoulder responsible for motion and stability. The ligaments that hold the AC joint together can be torn through sudden impact to the shoulder, which can cause separation to occur in the AC joint. This sudden impact can happen in hockey when players skating at high speeds collide with one another or into a rigid surface. Swelling, bruising, pain, and motion range loss are all symptoms of AC joint separation. There may also be visible bumps on the shoulder if the bones separate.

Shoulder Dislocation

Shoulder dislocation generally refers to a dislocation in the glenohumeral joint in the shoulder. This happens when the top of the humerus, or upper arm bone, is forced out of the glenoid, the socket in the shoulder joint it usually nestles in. If a player falls or receives a heavy blow or sudden impact on the shoulder, it can cause dislocation if the upper arm is forced to move in an abnormal way. Symptoms of shoulder dislocation include pain, weakness, and mobility issues. The arm may also appear to hang incorrectly off the shoulder.

Muscle Strain

Muscle strain occurs when a muscle is pushed past its limit. This can happen if a player’s muscle is suddenly presented with a heavy load or stretched beyond its normal ability. If a player’s muscles are tight but not warmed up or not conditioned well, tearing or straining is a risk. Symptoms of a muscle tear include pain at rest or when the muscle is used, and weakness or inability to use the muscle.

Meniscus Injury

The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage in the knee. There are two menisci in each knee joint, and if they are torn they can affect stability in the knee. This tearing can happen if the cartilage is worn down or through the quick movements and stress put on the knees by ice skating. Symptoms vary depending on how and where the meniscus is torn, but symptoms can include pain, instability or feeling the knee “giving,” stiffness, swelling, and an impaired range of motion. Sliding, popping, or locking may occur if the tear is left untreated because loose fragments from the meniscus tear will drift into the joint.

Gamekeeper’s Thumb

The ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL, connects the bones at the base of the thumb, which prevents the thumb from moving too far from the hand. When an acute sprain or tear of the UCL occurs, it is called a UCL injury. When the injury is chronic and develops over time from repeated UCL stretching, it’s called gamekeeper’s thumb. UCL injuries are commonly caused by injury or trauma in which the thumb is bent away from the hand at the MCP joint. This can happen in sports hockey, or in any situation in which a fall is landed on an outstretched hand.

This injury might also be sustained when a person is gripping something that is suddenly moving, like a hockey stick during a fall. Swelling, pain, and tenderness on the ulnar side of the thumb are all symptoms of UCL injury. You may also have difficulty pinching and gripping with the thumb, and you may have limitations in your range of movement. In severe cases, a bump under the skin, called a Stener lesion, may form due to the ends of the torn ligament being held apart by a nearby tendon.

If you believe you are suffering from a sports injury and need specialized orthopedic care, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle has excellent treatment options available for you. Please feel free to contact Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle at (206) 633-8100 to schedule an appointment.

Volleyball Injuries Caused by Repetitive Motion

Karch Kiraly, Misty Mae Traenor, Logan Tom, Kerri Walsh and Steve Timmons dominated the sport of volleyball both on the court and in the sand. It’s no surprise that over their years as either and Olympic gold medalist or a top professional athlete, they have had their share of injuries over the years. From shoulder injuries to foot and ankle injuries, these athletes have battled the pain and recovered through extensive orthopedic protocols and treatments.

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Wrist and Hand Injuries From Bike Falls

I have always enjoyed cycling. There is something about grinding your way up a steady incline for a mile or greater and then riding over the hillcrest to claim your reward. Turning all the responsibility of propelling the bike over to gravity is one of those great feelings that only vigorous exercise can produce.

Here in Seattle, we have great opportunities for cycling, whether for fitness or just getting around the city. Seattle offers numerous roadways with bicycle lanes as well as separate bike paths for those who wish to stay clear of automobile traffic. Because of the popularity with riding in and around the city as well as on mountain trails, I do tend to see numerous wrist and hand injuries during the warmer months from bicycle falls.

The natural reaction when one falls off of or is thrown from a bike is to break the fall with their arms, and is the most common mechanism of injury. The impact of falling on an outstretched hand can cause several different types of injury that we will discuss.

Fractures

The impact of falling on an outstretched hand can be several times an individual’s body weight, leading to broken bones. In fact, 20% of all upper extremity injuries caused by bicycle falls are fractures.

Wrist Fracture

One of the most common fractures is of the distal radius, the large bone of the forearm that articulates with the smaller carpal bones in the wrist. The break will often lead to pain in the forearm, approximately one inch away from the wrist.

More severe breaks could show some deformity if the bones are displaced, which will likely cause the rider to seek immediate medical attention; however, it is important to know that the blood vessels and nerves that supply the hand are funneled into a fairly compressed area in the wrist, and a fracture or the subsequent swelling that occurs could disrupt this neurovascular integrity.

These symptoms include numbness or tingling, discoloration, and temperature change in the hand. Most bike injuries happen over the weekend, when your doctor’s office is closed. If this is the case and you have any of the above symptoms, then you should go to the emergency room. Even without these symptoms, it is important to get evaluated by a hand surgeon soon after the injury occurs in order to initiate treatment.

Wrist fractures, if non-displaced, may be treated with immobilization in a cast; however, any misalignment may cause a loss of function in the wrist and is difficult to correct without surgical fixation. Screws and plates may be placed internally, or a device called an external fixator may be placed to hold the fracture in place.

Scaphoid Fracture

The scaphoid is a small bone located in the wrist, at the base of the thumb. When a bike rider falls on an outstretched hand, the scaphoid is compressed and could fracture. The primary symptoms are acute pain and tenderness on the thumb side of the wrist lasting longer than a few days, swelling, and limited thumb function. Diagnosis is usually confirmed with X-ray; however, this type of fracture often will not be visible on X-ray until a week after the injury. In this case, I will splint the patient’s hand and have them return in one week for a repeat exam.

If the fracture is located further toward the thumb, then the treatment may be immobilization in a short arm cast for several weeks. If the bone is fractured more toward the forearm, surgical treatment may be necessary as the scaphoid has poor blood supply in this area.

Surgical treatment consists of placing a small screw or wire through the bone fragments to create proper alignment. In some cases where the scaphoid has broken into several pieces, a bone graft taken from another part of the patient’s body may be used to stimulate healing. In all cases, there will be a period of immobilization and limited activity, followed by physical or occupational therapy by one of our therapists that specialize in hand rehabilitation.

Wrist and Finger Sprains

A sprain occurs when a ligament holding one bone to another bone at a joint is torn, either partially or completely. With a fall from a bike, the ligaments most likely to be torn are on the palm side of the wrist and where the fingers meet the hand. Again, this is due to the extreme backward bending (extension) of the wrist and fingers as one tries to break their fall with the arms. Pain and swelling in the affected joint are likely, but should start to subside after a few days. If pain is severe or persistent, you should see a doctor in order to rule out a fracture.

Treatment for wrist sprains could be as simple as careful observation over several weeks or splinting and activity modification to allow the ligament to heal. In severe cases, surgical reconstruction using tendon grafts may be necessary to restore optimal function.

Not all bike falls will be avoided, but there are a few things that we can do as riders to prevent injuring ourselves:

  • Being aware of your surroundings is paramount, which includes being able to hear approaching vehicles from the rear. Avoid listening to music when sharing the road with motorists.
  • When cycling with others, break up your party into groups of no more than 3 riders in line. This will help avoid a driver from squeezing you off the road in the presence of oncoming traffic.
  • Mountain bikers may want to reconnoiter a new obstacle or downhill challenge prior to attempting it at full speed.
  • Wear padded gloves to avoid skin abrasions on the hands if you fall. They also protect against nerve compression in the wrists.