Kevin Ware on crutches//By Kenny Klein
Yesterday, we wrote about Kevin Ware's injury and today, photos are circulating of the 20-year-old reserve guard getting around on crutches, injured right leg wrapped in bandages.
Yesterday, Louisville athletic director, Kevin Klein shared the photo from his Twitter account, where he goes by the handle @KKcards.
He also shared another, of Ware in his hospital bed, joined by Louisville Coach Rick Pitino, Richard Pitino and of course, the NCAA Final Four trophy.
Kevin Ware with Coach Rick Pitino, Richard Pitino and the NCAA Final Four trophy//By Kenny Klein
Two new videos provide more information about the basketball player's injury and the response of his family.
In one of the videos, orthopedic trauma physician, Dr. Walter Virkus, says that Ware's injury is not uncommon. It is considered a "low energy" break because it happened after what amounts to a fall of four-to-five feet. A "high energy" injury might occur following significant trauma, like being struck by a fast-moving vehicle.
Ware's injury is "unusual in that it was on live TV for a lot of people to see," Virkus said, but "they're really common injuries."
Ware's recovery is expected to take about 10 months and the sophomore is said to be in good spirits. Moving around on crutches was reported yesterday to be a way to help promote blood flow to the injury.
Compound fractures can damage blood vessels and result in bone loss, which can hamper the flow of blood to the injury. The healing process requires an adequate supply of blood to the injured area, so blood flow is important to Ware's recovery.
Yesterday's Check Up Delaware post is below:
Louisville’s break: Kevin Ware recovers
Louisville Cardinal gather for Kevin Ware//By: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images Sport
Did you see it? Surely you’ve heard about it by now.
The “gruesome” and “grisly” open fracture sustained by the Louisville Cardinal’s Kevin Ware in an Elite Eight game against Duke on Easter Sunday was a break that few who witnessed will ever forget.
As Linda Holmes of NPR’s Monkey See pop culture blog argues, if you haven’t seen it already, there is really no reason to seek it out.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore reserve guard was in the middle of a play he’s made probably thousands of times. As Duke’s Tyler Thornton moved to make a 3-point jump shot, Ware emerged from the edge of the court, jumping and spinning in the air to thwart Thornton’s attempt.
But what happened next occurs perhaps only in athletes’ worst nightmares.
As Ware landed, hard on his right leg, the force of the impact with the ground broke his tibia in two places. The reaction of the crowd was probably the first clue to television viewers that something was not right, as looks of shock, horror and disgust played across people’s faces.
[Louisville players react to Kevin Ware’s injury//By Andy Lyons, Getty Images Sport]
And then Ware’s teammates took to their knees on the court. Some in tears, some trying to hold off sick. Coaches were crying. And there Ware was, lying calmly on the sideline, moments after the landing that fractured his tibia, which then erupted through his muscle and skin, exposed. His leg dangled unnaturally.
Thornton, perhaps the player located closest to Ware at the time, was visibly disturbed.
But the human body sustains all kinds of trauma. Several-100-pound men slam into each other in an effort to protect an oblong leather ball. People are ejected from cars in horrible highway accidents. Cycling accidents occur with unfortunate regularity.
So why would Kevin Ware sustain such an injury on such a regular play? How could his bone break and then emerge through muscle and skin, causing what’s known as a compound fracture?
An open fracture could have been caused simply by the amount of force and the angle at which Ware landed after leaping to challenge a Duke shot, Dr. Craig Roberts, chairman of Louisville’s department of orthopedic surgery, told the Louisville Courier-Journal.
“It looks like what we call a bending fracture—like snapping a pencil with your finger,” he said. “There was a significant amount of force, and the angle looked about right.”
Some doctors speculate Ware may have had stress fractures that predisposed him to the injury, RTV6 ABC Indianapolis reports.
Compound fractures are more likely to happen at the tibia than at other bones since the long lower leg bone sits closer to the surface of the skin, covered by less muscle and fat than other parts.
And sometimes, these things just happen: The body lands just right (er, wrong), forces are applied to a bone that just can’t sustain it. A confluence of factors result in a terrifying reminder of how strong yet vulnerable the human body can be.
Joe Theismann, 1983//By Ted Van Pelt
Doctors seem hopeful Ware’s injury won’t end his career, unlike a similar injury sustained in 1985 by then-Washington Redskin Joe Theismann during a game against the New York Giants. Surgery last night on Ware’s leg is reported by several news outlets to have been successful.
Another Louisville player (football) sustained a very similar compound tibial fracture in 2006 and these days, Michael Bush is still making headlines and playing strong for the Chicago Bears.
But now that the surgery is over, the care is not done. The greatest risks associated with compound fractures are not necessarily with the bone itself.
Sure, surgery is usually required to stabilize the bone and surrounding tissues. A metal rod was placed in Ware’s leg during his two-hour surgery last night.
Often, significant bone loss occurs and can require grafting and other bone-promoting therapies. Nerves and blood vessels can be damaged, compounding problems with treatment and recovery. The bones can take a lot of time to heal.
But it’s the infections that can pose the greatest challenges in treating and recovering from a compound fracture.
Bacteria can get into the wound, either introduced at the time of injury, during surgery or upon caring for the wound in the period after the injury but before it’s completely closed.
In the hours following injury, it’s not uncommon for a person to receive IV antibiotic therapy or some other form of treatment to prevent infection.
But on Monday morning, hours after his surgery, the Chicago Tribune reports Ware is in great spirits. His doctors have him walking on crutches, the story says, to help promote blood flow. And they are looking out for infection.
And Ware is looking out for the team’s Final Four trophy, which is keeping him company in his Indianapolis hospital room. At least, that is, until he joins up again with his team, cheering them on at the Final Four in Atlanta.
