All posts by Marwa Najem

Ankle/Foot, Football, Knee

Tua Tagovailoa’s right ankle injury.

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Tua Tagovailoa, an American college football quarterback of the Alabama Crimson Tide, injured his right ankle during the 4th quarter of the SEC Championship against Georgia. The injury happened when offensive lineman Jonah Williams backed into Tua and stepped on his right ankle as Tua was attempting to make a throw. Tua could not walk off and was carted to the sideline. He did not return to the game. His injury led to a crazy touchdown drive by his backup, Jalen Hurt.

After x-rays and a MRI he was diagnosed with  a right ankle high sprain, which means that he injured the ligaments between his tibia and fibula (the syndesmosis).  This injury is treated with surgery to align and hold the bones while the ligaments heal.   

Before his ankle sprain, Tua has been dealing with a knee sprain for about a month before he injured his right ankle. The right ankle injury was the reason that he was completely locked him out of the game.  His orthopedic surgeons believe that the most recent procedure to his right ankle will be the one to keep him in good place for his championship. Tua is expected to be back in two weeks, but this time in a much better position in terms of his ankle recovery. While it’s nice that Tua is not kept off from playing for too long, he is taking a huge  risk by returning after such a short time of recovery, especially since he is recovering from two injuries now, an ankle and a knee sprain.

All Blogs, Football, Wrist/Hand

Geoff Swain’s Wrist Injury

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After the retirement of Jason Witten, the Dallas Cowboy’s all time leader in receptions and yards, Geoff Swaim became the Cowboy’s starting tight end. Coming back at the start of the year from a medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee , Geoff Swain was ready to get back into practice. He returned to play in the Cowboys’ 22-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday November, 2018.  Unfortunately he injured his wrist on the final game winning drive. Media reports indicate that this is an injury to his wrist and it will be treated with surgery, but don’t say what is injured or give any details about the injury. He is unlikely to return to play this season.

All Blogs, Basketball, Uncategorized

Stephen Curry’s Adductor Muscle Strain

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While defending a fast break midway through the third quarter during the Milwaukee Bucks game on November 8th of 2018, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors strained his left adductor muscle (commonly known as a groin pull). He left the game. An MRI was obtained showing a grade I-II strain severity. As we often note on this site, the MRI does not influence treatment and seems unhelpful. If you strain your adductor muscle, an MRI is not worth paying for.  

Adductor muscle strains heal with time.  The symptoms can be alleviated with pain medication, ice, stretching,  and eventually muscle strengthening exercises. Muscle strains improve for a year.  It’s safe to play, but it can be difficult to be effective with a painful adductor.  A recovering muscle is also more vulnerable to additional strain. Media reports anticipate return to play in less than two months.