I had a player go down yesterday during practice with a non-contact knee injury. Hoping for the best, but it seemed pretty bad. I know how to deal with a concussion or some blood. Even CPR if needed. But what is the on-the field protocol for knees, ankles, shoulders, bone breaks, etc? More specifically - Should you try to get the player to straighten out whatever is hurt? If they can straigthen it, should they try to bend it again? Should you touch it / put pressure on it? Should they try to walk (if the case of knee or ankle?) Is being a human crutch a good idea? Is a piggy back ride ok? Is ice the best thing to do immediately? Should compression be applied? If its an ankle/foot - do you leave the shoe on or take it off? In yesterday's case, we left the player lying on her back with her injured knee in a bent position. I called her mom who was there within a few minutes. I applied an ice-pack. It didn't appear that there was much swelling and it wasn't black and blue (yet). She will be at the doctor today to see what happened. Fingers crossed she is ok!!!
The ACL injuries I have seen over the years were not from contact. I had a hyper-extension from being tackled like in pointy football (I was taken down from a hit just below my kneecap). But the hyperextension was extremely apparent and there was immediately apparent internal bleeding. Sounds like you did good. Generally speaking the first thing I do is check the player for visible signs of injury (bleeding, etc., a yellow "stain" appearance to the skin indicates the proximity of a broken bone.). I don't try to move the player. (Even if there is no injury, joints may be numb for a few seconds from the natural body's reaction. It is very easy to injure a healthy but numb joint by putting weight on it.) I stop others from trying to pull the player up. I talk to them and listen for complaints, tone, and signs of shock. Unhurt players will get up soon after their senses return. I watch for when they try to get up and especially watch for unusual movements such as whether they get up naturally or are favoring a limb or joint. An example for a fall where I was worried about a wrist injury, I held my hand out for the person to grab and pull as they got to their feet. I didn't grab the person or lift. In the instance I recall, the person used their hand I was worried about to pull themselves up normally. Obviously they were uninjured and not favoring the suspect hand. If you have an injured player, you don't stress the injured area. I apply first aid if there are no medical people there. If the player is unhurt, my evaluation period may only be a few seconds. I have suffered two injuries (1 knee and 1 arm) that stopped the matches until I could be transported to a hospital. Often a player can be removed from the field without aggravating the injury. If in doubt, don't move an injured player. To me the scariest injuries are eye injuries like a retinal tear. This happened twice while I was coaching. I was immediately concerned about concussion or damage to the orbital, but there are no visible symptoms. The only indications are the player's complaints. (Once there was a typical cut above the eye needing a stitch--the other time there was no apparent injury at all.) This is very serious and requires immediate medical treatment. As the eye bleeds internally, the player starts to go blind in the eye. Very scary stuff. Prompt medical treatment corrects the problem and vision returns. Please note that this is just what I do. I am not a doctor, nurse, EMT or the Red Cross.
I had a compound fracture of my leg ten months ago. Luckily one of our opponents was an EMT. I got to the ground myself . He didn't straighten my leg out. They called for an ambulance and got me comfortable. He'd check on my toes and surrounding areas to check for feeling. I can't remember if he said that was for nerve damage or internal bleeding. I think they fashioned something that I could prop my broken leg on that wouldn't push it nor let it slack. I wasn't moved until the ambo came.
1. Ask if they're okay. You're already on the upside if they are responsive. If obviously unconscious or unable to respond, call 911 right away. 2. Don't touch or move them. Once someone is able to communicate with you (in many cases, especially kids, this might mean helping them relax, take deep breaths, stop crying, etc.), ask if they can tell you what happened, and what hurts. I find it's best to not offer "suggestions" (e.g. "Did you twist your knee?") to get a more true answer as to the cause of the injury, kids especially can just go along with your "suggestion" rather than telling you it was something else (e.g. an impact rather than a twist). 3. Ask them if the can move the affected body part. If they can't move it or it's too painful, leave them in place. It might take a while, but eventually they might be able to. 4. See if they can sit up/stand up on their own, perhaps with some assistance. Once up, see if they can put pressure on the affected body part. Get them off the field and if possible, ice the affected area asap. Ice can only help, will never cause greater injury. If at any point, the balk at a step, leave them be for awhile. Be alert for other signs of serious injury--obvious swelling or deformity, serious and quick bruising or blackening, complaints of feeling ill, dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated, or other signs of shock. If so, don't move, keep them as cool/warm and comfortable as possible, get medical attention. tl;dr: Don't touch/move them unless they can move under their own power, look for signs of shock or more serious injury, when in doubt get medical help.
Thanks for the responses. Quick update on my player. MRI shows nothing torn. A mild MCL sprain. A little bruise and a little fluid. She goes back to the doc in 2 weeks to see when she can resume playing. Told her parents to take their time. We'll miss her on the field, but we will be ok.
When kids get leg injuries like in eleassar a compound fracture where you can see the bone best to cover it up with something. So the player can't see it. It will help keep him from getting scared, and try not to react to it yourself. He sees your reaction he will get scared. Call an ambulance nothing you can do for it. Just hope they don't do a number on him in the hospital trying to set it. Before they decide they can't set it and have to operate. Same is true if he gets a face bone broke like a crashed in cheek bone. Don't let him touch it and don't react to it like something is terribly wrong. No sense scaring him.
A lot of mcl injuries are from no contact. Clint Mathis's last one was from no contact. He tried to hold up his kick trying not to hurt his opponent on his follow through. Fluid can be drained so that is not a big deal. It is good that Timbuck knows how to handle some medical emergencies. I stopped doing it when I found out there are many medical trainers learning their trade who need practical experience. Look in to it you can probably get one for little or no payment. Remember this try to fix something yourself on a player leads you open to a lawsuit in this age of hire a lawyer and get rich.