Strangest Method of Injury You’ve Ever Encountered

This might be one of our all-time favorite blogs that we’ve had the pleasure of curating. We asked the AT world to tell us about their strangest method of injury (MOI) that they’ve come across in their practice; and the AT world did not disappoint.

Read ’em and weep. 

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@ChadHelley50: Genital burn…athlete got out of the shower and tried to put a poster up. Burned it on an exposed light bulb.

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@beffcjones: Kicked in the head by a deer. Rolled (fell) out of bed while sleeping. Punched a tree. 

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@HunterAmosATC: Torn ACL from doing the stanky leg is a favorite of mine.

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@mjcatc: Lock Down Drill concussion. Student was crouched down by a file cabinet with a large stack of books on it. Someone bumped the cabinet and the books fell onto their head causing a concussion.

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@jocschmidt: ice machine lid fell on head x2 resulting in a concussion…it’s me.

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@TrainerJenny1: Had a rower come into the concussion clinic because a goose flew into him. 8 years later and I still haven’t forgotten this story.

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@LMancuso7: Tore UCL packing a can of dip.

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@Klubes15: Tripping on a bag and falling on the side of their shoulder while saran wrapping a car for April Fool’s.

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@Rae3Martin: Getting kicked by a cow.

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@TroKnows: Baseball player sitting on the top of the bench in the dugout . . . jumps up to celebrate a teammate getting a big hit…smokes their head on the roof of the dugout . . . concussion + neck strain

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@KylinNicole11: Doing a TikTok dance/challenge (whatever these youngins do these days) involving doing a hand stand, and fell on head causing a concussion.

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@afrancATadvocat: A freshman .He ran into the back end corner of a golf cart, metal frame box back.
He didn’t see the parked cart, was running & talking to buddy & drove his thigh up into metal corner edge. 2 layers of stitches needed, puncture like lac was that deep in middle of his thigh.

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@KatieTanguayATC: Caught a sword at the pawn shop with both hands as it was falling, blade side down (while skipping class). 

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@SarahRoweAT: Opening a bag of chips resulting in a sprained thumb. 

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@damon_amato: Broken tooth from handing-off a relay baton. Called mom, couldn’t pick her up. Why? She was at the Dentist . . . 

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@HeelsATC: Had someone get a little excited after successfully cutting a bagel. Thought they could jam the knife into the wooden cutting board. 12 hours later he’s in the OR getting his severed flexor tendon fixed.

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@CantonBulldogAT: Fell walking to parking lot (down a hill at least). FX fibula, face to sign post that needed 12 stitches.

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@ClaireBearATC: An enthusiastic post-competition high five from a teammate resulted in a rotational force on a ring finger = 4th MC fracture . . . 

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@EllisFenwick: Multiple lumbar spine fractures from hitting a cactus when their parachute didn’t deploy. 

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@jesskerns_AT: It wasn’t during their sport but they came in with a severely bruised (they thought it was broken) patella. They had video…they did a flip off the bed and their knee slammed into the door knob next to the bed. The noise..I will never forget.

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@Karinna_7: Practicing their running form in the bathroom, slipped, and sprained their ankle.

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@UNCATC: Baseball player stopped by his car walking back to buildings. Swinging (golf club) at pine cones (welcome to NC- they are everywhere), did not see a root behind one. Club shaft snapped in half, flipped up & impaled him ALL THE WAY THROUGH his forearm. Quite the site to walk in on.

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@thatladylyss: Dancing in the shower and slipped. 

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@allie_nhatc: Crossing their legs to sit comfortably and sustaining a significant quad strain. 

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@EmilySteinATC: Opening a can of pineapple at 3 AM.

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@ATGoalie14: MA shoulder injury due to a flu shot. This is definitely not made up. 

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@kerekes_lauren: Ankle sprain from running a timed two mile on a track . . . with her eyes closed . . .

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@MC_the_ATC: Grade 2 ankle sprain from practicing a celebration . . . practicing it . . . practicing.

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@kujoatc75: Lost bridge (false teeth) when tackled. Had to stop game for 15 minutes to look for it.

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@CaseySeitzAT: This was during one of my rotations at a high school. Athlete runs to pull open the bathroom door but it is locked, which causes her to slip and fall leading to a concussion.

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@mnhopper1s: Foot/ankle contusion due to friend dropping bowling ball on her foot AND getting foot run over by wheelchair at nursing home during service hours. Not a bowling athlete lol. // 

Concussion due to “studying too much.” Girl had stayed up for 36+ hours studying for an AP exam. Fell asleep in 1st period class and fell out of her chair, hitting her head on concrete wall and then the floor.

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@jhoney_actc: One athlete dreamt there was a snake in her bed. Jumped from the top bunk to floor and thought she broke her foot. Luckily, she did not. Have had multiple run into trees, stop signs, etc. Slipped on a leaf and sprained an ankle.

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@RTaylorATC: Sitting at a Chinese buffet, old guy hit the gas instead of the break came through the building. Nothing broken or tore, just the worst funny bone hit ever. Two elbow surgeries later . . .

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@MeganSmithATC: Concussion by walking into an industrial dumpster lid when coming home from a night class.

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