Ben Roethlisberger Injury: Major Rib Injury Reported, Potentially Fatal

[Hookem Horns]

Reportedly, the hit that hurt Roethlisberger's shoulder also damaged one of the ribs close to his heart and his aorta. If further injured, it could be extremely dangerous. This means that Big Ben will have to wait until this injury is fully healed before stepping back onto a football field.

With an injury this dangerous, one has to expect that Roethlisberger and the Steelers will give it the recovery time and the gravity that it deserves.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...entially-fatal

Probably gone for the season. I don't think this guy will be able to do anything for a while.

[ItsMyFault]

Damn. This sucks for Steelers fans. Huge blow.

[The Pencil Neck]

Wow. It didn't look like it would be that serious. I thought he might have a slightly dislocated/sprained shoulder and maybe some collar bone damage.

Sux for the Steelers. Byron Leftwich, with his big-assed windup delivery, is not going to make the same plays Big Ben makes.

Like... at all.

[ChampionTexan]

The Colts path to the Wildcard most likely just got easier. Maybe a lot easier.

[HJam72]

OMG, he's not gonna play with a witttle injuwy. What a wussie.

[Showtime100]

Get well Ben Roethlisberger, scary injury you need to respect and heal properly. No sports fan worth his ticket wants to see anyone hurt on the field, especially a dangerous injury.

To Steeler fans:

[welsh texan]

Damn, whatever you think about the guy he's a good player on a team thats good to watch, wish him a speedy recovery in time for next season.

On a selfish note, thats one team who would have potentially been dangerous in the playoffs knocked off if he's out for the season.

[Thorn]

Remember how we felt last year when Schaub was out for the season? Karma is a *****, don't tempt her.

[ChampionTexan]

Looks like I picked the wrong three weeks to play Baltimore two times!

[Texan_Bill]

While I think Rapelisberger is a POS, I certainly pray for the best for his health! Nobody should be in that much danger from a football injury..

"I'm one of the good guys but still things happen to POS's football players or otherwise, that are life threatening as well..


"I (we should) Pray for them too!"



Signed, DJ Hayden
UH Coog


*EDIT*
*My version*

[CloakNNNdagger]

Big Ben has apparently experienced a 1st rib dislocation or fracture. First rib dislocations\fractures are rarest of all rib fractures, and are a reflection of severe chest trauma since the first rib is very well protected by the shoulder, lower neck musculature, and collar bone. It requires a much higher impact force to fracture than other ribs. Fractures of the first rib raise immediate suspicion of significant chest trauma. Mortality rates as high as 36% have been reported with fractures or dislocations of the first rib, which are associated with injury vital structures located behind this rib. Such structures include the ascending aorta (one of the most commonly associated with mortality), lung, subclavian artery, and brachial plexus. Other complications associated with first rib fractures include delayed subclavian blood vessel clots and the creation of traumatic aortic aneurysm........all of these complications are of a serious nature. Because of the anatomic relationship of the first rib to the heart (heart located below the level of the first rib), it would be very unlikely that the heart would directly be injured with this type of trauma. However, the ascending aorta which comes off directly from the heart can be torn off its connection to the heart essentially leading to certain death.

For those fortunate enough to reach the hospital alive, I've had to crack my share of chests to save these patients. The first rib is dislocated or fractured most classically in a head-on auto accident with a massiive impact from a high speed steering wheel into the chest. The first rib is located in a recessed position immediately below the collar bone. The heart is not directly behind this rib........the aortic arch is.:









Big Ben is indeed very fortunate to have fared this benignly from such an injury. His physicians better be darn sure that his rib is totally stabilized by the natural long term healing process or with the help of surgical fixation before he is ever allowed back onto the field.

[Fred]

I understand that the first danger is ripping an aorta and being DOA. Since he is past that, is the major danger now 1) loss of protection (of aortas, heart etc) due to weakness of rib or 2) danger that the broken rib could get pushed into vital areas (half rib sticking into heart)?

[ChampionTexan]

Originally Posted by CloakNNNdagger

Big Ben has apparently experienced a 1st rib dislocation or fracture. First rib dislocations\fractures are rarest of all rib fractures, and are a reflection of severe chest trauma since the first rib is very well protected by the shoulder, lower neck musculature, and collar bone. It requires a much higher impact force to fracture than other ribs. Fractures of the first rib raise immediate suspicion of significant chest trauma. Mortality rates as high as 36% have been reported with fractures or dislocations of the first rib, which are associated with injury vital structures located behind this rib. Such structures include the ascending aorta (one of the most commonly associated with mortality), lung, subclavian artery, and brachial plexus. Other complications associated with first rib fractures include delayed subclavian blood vessel clots and the creation of traumatic aortic aneurysm........all of these complications are of a serious nature. Because of the anatomic relationship of the first rib to the heart (heart located below the level of the first rib), it would be very unlikely that the heart would directly be injured with this type of trauma. However, the ascending aorta which comes off directly from the heart can be torn off its connection to the heart essentially leading to certain death.

For those fortunate enough to reach the hospital alive, I've had to crack my share of chests to save these patients. The first rib is dislocated or fractured most classically in a head-on auto accident with a massiive impact from a high speed steering wheel into the chest. The first rib is located in a recessed position immediately below the collar bone. The heart is not directly behind this rib........the aortic arch is.:









Big Ben is indeed very fortunate to have fared this benignly from such an injury. His physicians better be darn sure that his rib is totally stabilized by the natural long term healing process or with the help of surgical fixation before he is ever allowed back onto the field.

It's almost eery that between this and the U/H player injured in practice, I've now heard the phrase "This is an injury you see in an auto accident, not on a football field" twice in the last week.

[Hookem Horns]

Originally Posted by CloakNNNdagger

Big Ben is indeed very fortunate to have fared this benignly from such an injury. His physicians better be darn sure that his rib is totally stabilized by the natural long term healing process or with the help of surgical fixation before he is ever allowed back onto the field.

So in your estimation he won't be back on the field this season?

[Playoffs]

Roethlisberger has rare, potentially dangerous rib injury

Ben Roethlisberger has a rare rib injury that won't allow him to play until it heals because it could press on his aorta and kill him.

Yikes!

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by Fred

I understand that the first danger is ripping an aorta and being DOA. Since he is past that, is the major danger now 1) loss of protection (of aortas, heart etc) due to weakness of rib or 2) danger that the broken rib could get pushed into vital areas (half rib sticking into heart)?

Your scenario pretty well covers the concerns, although it would be unlikely that there would be direct puncture of the heart because of its significant lower position in relationship to the first rib. BTW, a recent report finally reveals the injury to his first rib is actually a dislocation, which essentially shares similar implications as fracture. (See below)

Originally Posted by Hookem Horns

So in your estimation he won't be back on the field this season?

As you can see here, the 1st rib (labeled as “cervical rib” in this diagram) is located below and well behind the plane of the clavicle, which acts as sort of a first line of protection to trauma to the first rib. In order for the first rib to have been dislocated (joint identified as light blue in diagram), the massive force would have also had to create significant trauma in the form of movement, displacement, or fracture of the joint (sternoclavicular) joint that connects the inside end of the clavicle with the sternum (breast bone).



No matter what the direction of treatment is taken, and recurrent same potential life threatening scenario is to be avoided, healing must be complete. I doubt that he could again be put out there safely short of short of 4-6 weeks (and probably closer to 6 weeks).

Keep in mind that whenever the arm is moved (that’s why they initially thought it was a “shoulder” injury), there will be stress upon and movement of the sternoclavicular joint and the first rib connection to the sternum. This is an excruciatingly painful injury to begin with......but the implications to even an almost so-called “healed” QB requiring forceful throwing motion makes return to effective play potentially that much longer and unpredictable.

[2012Champs]

Nice write up CND

[StarStruck]

Thanks CND for the explanation. I hate to see the injuries to the players, and seemingly this past week really took a toll ofcourse with Ben's being the biggest.

[Playoffs]

Greatly informative, Doc. Repped.

Pretty darn scary stuff, this certainly isn't one of those "gut it out" injuries. Wow.