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Doctor Reacts to Olympic Injuries

— Torn ligaments, dislocated elbows, and more

MedpageToday

In this video, Mikhail Varshavski, DO, who goes by "Dr. Mike" on social media, watches clips of injuries that have happened during past Olympics.

Following is a partial transcript of the video (note that errors are possible):

Varshavski: The Olympic Summer Games are upon us and apparently there have been some injuries that have happened. Sam put them together for me. I'm scared, but we're going to learn something together. Let's get started. Pee-woop!

Uh-oh, uh-oh. These spins, these dismounts, this is where the danger comes in.

Commentator 1: Gets to the vertical. For the last move, but on the high bar she is working quickly, efficiently.

Varshavski: I feel a dismount is coming! [GASPS]

Commentator 1: Oh dear.

Varshavski: Concussion, broken nose, zygomatic arch fracture. I hated the way she was rolled over. If she had a cervical injury there, that would be a really bad way. You got to support the neck when you do that. No!

Commentator 1: She is up!

Spectators: [APPLAUSE]

Varshavski: No.

Commentator 1: That looked bad for a moment when she didn't move.

Varshavski: No. No, no, no, no, no, no. I hope she didn't compete after that. That would be so wrong. From a concussion standpoint, once you get the first one, just because you feel fine doesn't mean you should go back in because now your brain is even more sensitive to worse injury.

Ah, wrestling. A lot of cauliflower ear, a lot of dislocations. Elbow? Elbow? Was that an elbow? Falling on a weird angle like that on your elbow, it could be very devastating. In situations like this, it's usually more of a simple dislocation where you're tearing ligaments. A complicated or complex one would be broken bones.

What can be dangerous is if you do have significant damage to that area, especially with a broken bone, you can tear arteries, which can cause not only massive bleeding from the brachial artery, but also massive nerve damage that can then predispose to issues with the hand. And as we know, the hand is very important, as occupational therapists can attest, so tipping my cap to occupational therapists and all the great work they do.

Commentator 2: Torn ligaments are painful injuries to deal with at the...

Varshavski: Very painful.

Commentator 2: ... of times. But for Olympic gymnast, Kerri Strug, it had to be ignored. When her U.S. teammate left the vault having just missed the 9.4 needed to win the gold, it was down to Strug's remaining two attempts to secure the top medal.

Varshavski: Wait, she did it on a torn ligament?

Commentator 2: When she limped back after falling during her first attempt, something had clearly gone very wrong. Strug knew that she had to land her second attempt, as she made her way to the...

Varshavski: That's so dangerous. Oh no. Oh no. She landed on one leg. What a champ.

Commentator 2: Her second landing involved the slightest of touchdown on both feet and then a hop to the uninjured one to stay upright. Her efforts carried the team to gold at Atlanta 1996.

Varshavski: Wow! Impressive! And also what the announcer didn't say is that when you have a tear of a ligament like that, especially initially, you get this massive inflammatory response where the knee essentially locks up on you. Because remember, when you tear a ligament, it bleeds. You have bruising in there, you have swelling in there, you have edema, all this buildup, so that you have no range of motion with that knee. I don't even know how she sprinted through it.

Commentator 3: [SPEAKS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Varshavski: BMX? Oh my god! Everyone is falling on their faces. Some concussions, especially with that level of speed and deceleration. Lots of symptoms: brain fog, difficulty concentrating, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity. Imagine you're a young person and now every time you go out to a party there are loud noises and lights you can't even be comfortable. That's the smallest part of it.

Commentator 4: Yeah. That's really the culmination of the camaraderie that we see. Oh!

Varshavski: What the heck happened?

Commentator 4: Just a really awkward fall into the sand pit.

Varshavski: He had a hamstring tendon tear, a knee contusion, and a tear in the ligaments of the right foot. Interesting. I'm surprised he didn't tear his PCL [posterior cruciate ligament] based on the motion of his knee moving back. I guess a foot got caught on the jump, on the explosive part of the jump. That's going to be a really long rehab process, 8 to 12 months.

Commentator 5: And Angelica Bengtsson of Sweden.

Varshavski: The pole vault as an event scares the life out of me. You're going fast. There is a giant sharp object and it reminds me of "The Knight's Tale," jousting.

Commentator 5: Watch what's happening here on her third attempt.

Varshavski: [GASPS] She looks OK, but where is that piece flying to? I paused it and I see the trajectory. Oh. It didn't fly.

Commentator 6: You never want to see anything like that. Obviously, guys, pole vault is the only sport and the only event in track and field, your life is in your hands.

Varshavski: Oh, she is OK.

Commentator 6: You have to trust what's in your hand. It's so...

Varshavski: Oh, the pole broke! Does that happen? Is that a faulty pole?

Sam: There are multiple instances of this happening at the Olympics.

Varshavski: FPS, Faulty Pole Syndrome.

Sam: Oh, FPS!

Varshavski: New diagnosis. Some people thought I meant First Person Shooter, but no. I was worried because of where I paused it that that piece was shooting out into the audience.

Commentator 5: Well, the good news was she was OK. The better news is she has afforded another try as a...

Varshavski: God, I hope so! I mean, your stick broke!

Commentator 5: To try to join them at the next height.

Varshavski: Oh! And she did it!

Commentator 5: Trust in her new pole, she gets over the bar.

Varshavski: That's what I always say. "If you fall off the horse, get another pole." "Just like in Formula 1, you want to be in pole position." "If the first pole isn't in the north, try going south." "Contribute to your local polling station."

Did he get hit by the stick on his finger? Did he get stick? Did he get finger-stick? Oh no! Not finger stick! Penile stick! It was pole-on-pole violence! Oh my god! That's just a freak accident because it's not usually what happens. It's so rare, but it can happen. And what are you doing? You're flying 16 feet, 17 feet. Good luck trying to avoid your pole from getting cut. That's two pole accidents. This is becoming very polarizing.

Sam: We're out of the pole clips now, so I'm glad you got it out of your system.

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, is a board-certified family physician and social media influencer with more than 12 million subscribers.