The process of a sports injury

The injury mechanism

In the middleweight title fight against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in Las Vegas, Silva broke his left leg while kicking his opponent in the second round. Silva went for a lower leg kick. As he was about to make contact, When both his tibia and fibula broke, they damaged other parts of his leg such as his tendon, arteries, and muscle. As his leg broke instantly he felt excruciating pain and it was clear that he needed medical attention as soon as possible. Weidman’s defense technique acted as an unbreakable barrier putting huge amounts of force on Silva’s leg causing the break.

Clotting and Inflammation

So, when Anderson Silva fractured his tibia and his fibula, his bone damaged surrounding structures causing the internal bleeding. The blood trauma causes a lot of pressure sending pain signals to the nervous system. This caused swelling and inflammation around the area of injury. In this case, the swelling would be visible from the knee down. When the swelling occurs, pressure continues to rise and sometimes can cause blood vessels to rupture. This can be extremely dangerous as it can lead to blood entering the muscles causing haematosis. This is when the muscle cannot contract due to an overload of blood.

Repair and remodeling stage

The time that is taken to heal and the treatment depends on how severe the fracture is, the type, and where the injury is. Fractures are often categorized as closed (skin is intact) or open (skin is broken). Whether closed or open, after your doctor aligns your bones, they’ll place your leg in a cast or splint to reduce stress and strain on the bone. This prevents movement so the fracture can heal. In Silva’s case, his injury was open which meant he needed medical assistance immediately.  Most doctors in this situation use the RICE treatment.  This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Open fractures require surgery as there could be a higher chance of additional injuries, such as skin loss and damage to arteries. When a fracture occurs the body initially produces a fibrous matrix around the bone to hold it together. Over time, your body starts growing new bone in that area, and the bones fuse. Then you have the remodeling stage. Anderson Silva did need surgery and was out for a full year. That fracture line, where the fracture occurred was very, very strong once it was healed. Because everything was done right, and there were not any other factors that affected the healing rate. Anderson Silva did need surgery and was out for a full year.