# Athlete with Back Injury



## isabellamarie (Dec 10, 2020)

So a couple days ago I was on a call where a girl had a mishap in a school weight-training facility. She couldn't feel her left leg at all and had numbness and tingling in it. What would you guys have done in that situation?


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## DesertMedic66 (Dec 10, 2020)

Contact her parents/guardians/emergency contact, assess her injuries and treat anything I can, transport to an appropriate facility.

Without much information there really isn’t any specifics that can be provided.


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## Akulahawk (Dec 11, 2020)

With _my_ particular background, I would want to know exactly what the mechanism was. That would include what kind of weights, machine, during what portion of movement did the injury occur, and so on. This would give me a good idea what the likely injuries are, but not necessarily what injury was suffered. I would then try to get into contact with whomever the legal guardian is, obtain consent to treat, assess, and treat appropriately, including transport to an appropriate facility. As stated above, without much information, not much beyond what has been said can be provided. 

From what VERY limited info there is, I have an _idea_ about what happened, but absent specifics, that's all I got. Specific field treatment isn't going to vary much except perhaps in destination decision.


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## PotatoMedic (Dec 11, 2020)

Harvest the organs? 

But if that isn't in protocol, I would make sure they are comfy on my stretcher and take them down to my trauma center as neuro changes require it.


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## Akulahawk (Dec 11, 2020)

PotatoMedic said:


> Harvest the organs?


Only permissible if you use a very dull and rusty chainsaw.  🤪 

All kidding aside, treat and transport as indicated by your assessment.


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## NomadicMedic (Dec 11, 2020)

PotatoMedic said:


> Harvest the organs?


 and THIS is why you should always carry a multitool.


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## E tank (Dec 11, 2020)

isabellamarie said:


> So a couple days ago I was on a call where a girl had a mishap in a school weight-training facility. She couldn't feel her left leg at all and had numbness and tingling in it. What would you guys have done in that situation?


Probably just an acutely herniated lumbar disk...but it should be considered a traumatic spinal cord injury, no different from a fall or car crash etc...acute neuro symptoms like this are a bona fide emergency and need to be addressed sooner than later to avoid permanent loss...you don't say if she can move her leg or not, but that would be especially concerning. I might have seriously considered a trauma center to avoid d***ing around with CT/MRI/surgery delays. Given what you said, sounds like she would need surgery.


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