sports injuries: can a skate blade really cut open a wrist?
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evander kane says he only felt something hit his wrist — and then saw the blood on the ice.
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edmonton oilers winger evander kane is expected to miss three to four months after his left wrist was cut open by a skate blade.
kane was knocked down three minutes into the second period during a battle with philippe myers of tampa bay lightning. tampa’s pat maroon then came into the play to fight for the puck when his skate appeared to slide over kane’s wrist.
a pool of blood appeared under kane, who was able to quickly skate off the ice and head to the locker room. he was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery that night.
“first and foremost, everyone on our team, everyone in our organization are thinking about evander kane,” oilers coach jay woodcroft said. “when an accident like that happens on the ice, that’s where our first thought is. it’s never fun to see one of your teammates in that kind of position.”
kane has since been seen at the rink where he spoke with media with his arm in bandages and a sling. kane told reporters that when the injury occurred, he only felt something hit his wrist — and then saw the blood on the ice.
“i had an artery sliced open, tendons sliced open, nerves sliced open,” kane said. “i’d say the first twenty minutes after getting to the room was definitely the most painful because they couldn’t give me any medication, but once i got through that portion of that process things became a little easier.”
kane added he still had some feeling in his hand and was able to move his fingers immediately after the injury occurred, which he saw as a positive sign.
“i’m feeling better each and every day, so that’s the good news,” he said.
this is kane’s second season with the oilers after a messy exit from the san jose sharks in 2021 involving several factors such as a fake covid vaccine document, potential betting fraud, allegations of domestic abuse, and almost $27 million in various debts.
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why do ligaments in the wrist take so long to heal?
aside from the clear blood loss that kane suffered during the injury, there are several key components of the wrist that could have been damaged.
ligaments in the wrist connect the bones between the forearm and the hand, with several other ligaments connecting the wrist bones to each other. ligaments are essentially like rubber bands within the body that support joints and limit how far they can move. support for the wrist are provided by the ulnocarpal and radioulnar ligaments, while the scapholunate interosseous and lunotriquetral interosseous add stability. various other ligaments provide support and stability to a different part of the wrist, forearm, and hand.
for a standard torn ligament, there will be swelling, bruising, limited mobility, and limited ability to hold weight with that part of the body. symptoms only get worse over time instead of healing.
additionally, there are several tendons in the wrist key to supporting that area. extensor carpi radialis brevis, longus, and ulnaris each work to bend or straighten the wrist. a tendon connects muscles to bones and other muscles, while a ligament connects between bones and acts more as a stability aid.
what happens in ligament/tendon surgery?
surgery for torn ligaments will likely involve placement of a graft to replace the torn ligament, with metal pins possibly being needed to aid the graft’s supports. the graft is usually sourced from the tendon in the same wrist, however, it is unclear if this was the case for kane’s injury as tendons may also have been damaged.
after the surgery, the wrist is put in a splint that keeps it from moving until healed, and antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent any infection. pins can be removed after six to eight weeks.
kane has already had the surgery and is expected to be back on the ice between february and march.
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chris arnold is a toronto-based writer.
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