New York Giants Offensive Lineman Nick Gates suffers the worst injury, so far, of the 2021 NFL season on Thursday Night’s game while at Washington.
Nick Gates sustained a massive fracture of his leg. This, unfortunately, was a gruesome injury. #NYGvsWAS #HealthStuffTOKnow #NFL
Dr. Puja discusses the injury and why this lower leg fracture is so serious.
She explains the kind of fracture Nick likely has, the mechanism of injury, what Nick can expect in surgery, after surgery, and his recovery.
His return to play will likely not be for several months. It was a tough night for the Giants and Nick Gates. We hope he gets better soon.
TRANSCRIPT of VIDEO
Hi, I’m Dr. Puja, Nick Gates is in a world of pain. He left the field smiling. That’s a strong guy. Let’s look at the medical angle and see what we can discern. Four major structures here. Tibia, fibula, ankle, And that unfortunate Dangle.
Nick’s lower leg bones: the tibia & fibula have “angulated.” In English that basically means there should be no types of angles in your leg! The two bones have not only fractured, but they’ve also shifted and now are out of alignment.
Basically, reduction means that somebody has to manually bring the bones back together. Manually! With their hands! And if they did it without anesthesia, that shizzz hurts. Nick is, unfortunately, going to have major surgery, and he’s going to be out for some time.
Rods and screws will be put in will stabilize his bones. Another major risk of this type of injury is a blood clot because of the injury or after surgery. So usually people like this are going to get some type of a blood thinner. Things like aspirin or Lovenox & things like that. To any residents watching: Here’s a quiz. What’s Virchow’s Triad?
Nick’s going to have a lot of physical therapy, and this is definitely going to be a journey for him. Sorry, Giants! And we wish Nick gets better soon!
Reviewed by Dr. Puja Uppal, DO September 17, 2021
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