Liver Laceration Sustained by a College Football

Authors: Julian Guzman, Jose Luis De La Cruz, Alexis Carrillo, Enrique Gonzalez, Henry Clark

In this case study a college football player sustained an injury to the liver. The highest percentage of abdominal injuries occurs in contacts sports. Return to full competitive sports should be determined by the team physician on an individual. The athlete was cleared to resume all football activity at seven weeks.

The football player obtained this injury when he was hit in his right abdomen by the helmet of his opponent. Internal injuries are rare but the consequences can be very dangerous on the athlete. His breathing became more labored and he continued to exhibit a tachycardia heart rate. CT scan revealed the presence of a 3.4 x 1.5 cm non-perforating tear of the liver. Laboratory test failed to demonstrate any evidence of internal bleeding.

The highest percentage of abdominal injuries occurs in contact sports. Sports classified as contact sports are football, rugby, soccer, and hockey. These contact sports can cause internal damage. When you have internal damage it feels tenderness, ridged and has bruising. Direct trauma is more severe. The kidney’s are the most commonly injured.

The return to a full contact competitive sports should be determined by the team physician on an individual basis. The athlete should be cleared by his team physician. It allows the physician to be sure that the athlete is fine and will not hurt himself or the team. The way they evaluated this particular athlete was perform an ultrasound and a CT Scan at eight weeks.

In conclusion we learned that the liver self heals. Abdominal injuries are rare. Whenever an athlete wants to go back to the sport the athlete must be cleared by his team physician like this athlete did. We would like to know if once a player sustains a liver laceration is their career over. Also what is the normal recovery time for a lacerated liver to heal.

Brett, J. (2009) Liver Laceration Sustained by a College Football Player. Athletic Therapy Today, 14(2), 23-26