Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers receives a tremendous bodycheck from Keegan Kolesar of the Vegas Golden Knights in game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Welcome, I am Dr. Stefan Wilson and if you enjoy learning about the mechanism of injuries in sports and the relevant anatomy, then please like and subscribe to my page to receive notification of future videos.
In game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs Keegan Kolesar lays out Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers. On the replay we can see Kolesar leading with his left shoulder and making contact with Tkachuk’s left shoulder. At the time Tkachuk appears to be relatively unprepared for the impending bodycheck and as a result he is not braced well and falls to the ice quite forcefully. When Tkachuk falls his right side, his torso and right elbow all make contact with the ice. When Tkachuk gets back up he is seen favouring his left side. Tkachuk did miss a portion of game 3 time following the hit as he was removed from the ice by the league mandated concussion spotter. It is assumed that he passed the initial concussion protocol as he then resumed playing later in the game but in obvious discomfort.
Tkachuk did play in game 4 but his playing time was limited and you could visually identify him being in pain as his movements were awkward and limited. At times he also avoided using his left arm. While on the bench he could be seen being evaluated by the team athletic trainer.
Tkachuk did not dress for game 5 as his injury was significant enough to keep him out of the lineup. Following the end of game 5 it was revealed that Tkachuk had suffered a fractured sternum as a result of the bodycheck from Kolesar.
The normal anatomy of your sternum consists of 3 sections of flat bones on the front of your chest. These 3 bones together make the front part of the protective structure that houses organs such as of course your heart and your lungs. These 3 bones are called your manubrium, sternal body and xyphoid process. These 3 bones also serve as attachment points for your ribs and the rib cartilage as well as many muscles in the area.
So what we saw on Thursday night was Matthew Tkachuk sustaining a fracture to his sternum from a clean bodycheck. It actually requires a lot of force to cause a fracture to your sternum. The majority of sternum fractures actually occur in car accidents with a person’s chest hitting the steering wheel or sometimes the shoulder harness remaining stationary as a person’s chest presses into it. Or from chest compressions from receiving CPR. In Tkachuk’s case it was Kolesar driving him to the ice with a bodycheck. A sternal fracture can involve 1 or more sections of the bone or even the surrounding joint structures with the ribs. The sternal fractures that I have seen and palpated typically have what is described as a stair step effect where part of the sternum is indented or pushed up against either the manubrium or xyphoid process.
Matthew Tkachuk will be physically uncomfortable for some time as he heals from his injury. Thanks for watching.
