When football season rolls around, you may delight in watching NFL games with friends and family. There’s no greater feeling than when your team makes a great play or scores a touchdown. However, when someone gets hurt, it can be worrisome, even if the player is on the opposing team.
NFL players are subject to many injuries, despite wearing protective gear. While the helmets, padding, and face guards reduce the potential for injury, these items do not fully protect players from the harsh impacts of the sport.
1. Concussions
With frequent head-to-head and head-to-ground impacts, concussions are one of the most common NFL injuries. Concussions are mild forms of traumatic brain injury, though they can have lasting repercussions. Some players have sustained many of these in their football careers, resulting in memory issues, mood disorders, persistent headaches, and a higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, which can diminish their quality of life and cognitive function years after they retire from the sport.
2. Ligament Tears and Muscle Strains
The high-impact nature of football also leaves players vulnerable to ligament tears, particularly in key areas. Sudden changes in direction or a hard tackle can tear the ACL, PCL, or MCL. As for muscle strains, the quick bursts of movement paired with hard physical contact can strain the calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
3. Bone Fractures
The padding in a football uniform tends to protect vulnerable areas from serious harm, but it doesn’t protect all bones from fracture. Ribs can get cracked even under padding, and since the arms and legs are exposed, they are often the most vulnerable areas to suffer broken bones.
4. Joint Dislocations
Taking a hit on the shoulders, even with padding, can dislocate the shoulder while working offense or defense. Fingers can also suffer dislocations if the ball smashes into the fingers while the player is trying to catch it.
5. Oral Injuries
Helmets greatly reduce the frequency and severity of injuries, though they can’t stop them all the time. NFL players often suffer many oral injuries that require urgent treatment. Although many of them wear mouthguards, it is still possible to crack or chip teeth when they take a direct blow to the face. In some cases, players may suffer avulsion, which is when a tooth is completely knocked from its socket.
Jaw fractures from a hard impact require immediate surgery and are incredibly painful. Forceful blows often leave NFL players with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injuries that make it painful to open or close their mouths.
What to Do If You Suffer an Injury During Football Season
Football season intersects with fall and winter holidays, which are prime times to gather. For many, Thanksgiving is a day of eating turkey and watching the game. Before or after the game, you might play in the yard tossing the pigskin around.
It’s certainly a good way to burn off all those excess calories and spend time interacting with friends and family. However, keep in mind that NFL players often sustain the injuries discussed above, and that’s while wearing protective gear. Before you start roughhousing outside, wear helmets and padding to protect yourselves.
Thanksgiving, in particular, is a day where the emergency rooms fill up with people suffering from these sorts of injuries. If you or a family member suffers a painful football injury during the holidays, here’s what to do:
Assess the Injury
Clean off any blood and sterilize the area. If the wound is large, it will most likely require stitches.
Apply a Cold Compress
Soreness and inflammation can be treated with a cold compress. This is also ideal if the area in question is the mouth.
Don’t Be Afraid to Call an Ambulance or Go to the Hospital
If the injury is severe or someone has lost consciousness, don’t delay getting emergency medical care. An ambulance may be the fastest way to get urgent medical treatment administered for a serious injury involving the head or any heart-related matter.
Handling Your Own Tooth or Mouth Injury
If a quick game of football in your yard caused an injury to someone, you should know what to do to handle oral injuries. Again, cold compresses can help the outside of the mouth if it is set on the cheek for 20 minutes at a time.
If you are bleeding, rinsing with warm salt water can help naturally clean the area and reduce swelling. Make sure this salt water is spit out. Taking a pain reliever that contains acetaminophen or ibuprofen can assist with the pain.
If a tooth is knocked out, the best course of action is to gently put it back into the socket while holding it by the crown. This might not be possible, and if you can’t hold it in place, put the tooth in a cup of milk or saliva, then visit trusted dental professionals for emergency care.
Is My Dental Injury a Dental Emergency?
While you may have cause for concern, not all dental issues are an emergency. You can always call your dentist and ask what you should do in your situation and follow their guidance. Generally, you should go to the dentist immediately if you are in severe pain or the pain is persistent to such a degree that you cannot do anything without experiencing pain. If your mouth is swollen, the bleeding won’t stop, or you clearly have the signs of an infection, such as pus around the wound or a fever, you need emergency dental care.
Any permanent tooth that is loose, cracked, or chipped, or has been suddenly knocked out due to sports or another accident is also an issue that needs a dentist right away. Some dentists have emergency services while others provide a referral service to get the help you need. If it is late at night and you can’t reach your dentist while having a dental emergency, go to the nearest emergency room to get treatment rather than waiting it out.
Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay
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