Sam Steel of the Stars received an “injection as part of his treatment” What does that mean? It could mean several things Most often, this means a corticosteroid injection. Corticosteroid injections switches off inflammatory genes which reduces pain and swelling. The steroid takes effect over a few days, and a "steroid flare" (more pain for 24–48 hours) can happen first. I have been giving a ton of these on my current school rotation The trade-off is that inflammation is part of normal healing, so suppressing it may in theory slow repair. 🚨The steroid also does not reverse structural damage! An injection does not repair tissue. Other possibilities are platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or an anesthetic-only diagnostic injection. Diagnostic anesthetic injection involves numbing a specific spot, such as the hip joint, helps identify the pain source. If pain goes away, the joint is the likely source. PRP is when the player's own concentrated platelets are injected to try to stimulate healing. It has been tried for adductor injuries that don't respond to rehab, but evidence is limited (@DrJesseMorse is a good follow for this stuff) What does this tell us in Steel’s case? Steroid injection directly into a fresh muscle tear is controversial, so this injection 2 days after an injury points to something to more than a simple tear Bursitis or tendon irritation respond well to injections, and can lead to a return of play in as little as a week Reviews note that a midseason corticosteroid injection may be considered specifically to speed return to play for players with recurrent pain. Steele had a hip/groin issue this March, so this is very much in play Overall, a quick return (days to about 2 weeks) suggests the injection was used to manage pain or inflammation in a minor or chronic problem so he can keep playing. A longer absence suggests the injection was diagnostic or supportive alongside a real structural injury.

A Sunday quick read!

Vincent Desharnais of the Capitals underwent an appendectomy An appendectomy is surgery to remove the appendix, usually because it has become inflamed or infected causing a condition called appendicitis. It is very important to not people can live a normal, healthy life without their appendix. ❓ The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch attached to the beginning of the large intestine, usually in the lower-right part of the belly 😷 Appendicitis means the appendix is inflamed. Sometimes its opening becomes blocked, allowing bacteria to grow and pressure to build inside. As swelling increases, the appendix can lose its blood supply and develop a hole or burst. This can spread infection into the belly. Not everyone has these symptoms but here are some you should watch out for! 🔹Belly pain that starts near the belly button and moves toward the lower-right side 🔹Pain that gets worse with walking, coughing, or movement 🔹Loss of appetite 🔹Nausea or vomiting 🔹Fever 🔹Sometimes constipation, diarrhea, or bloating 🚨Do NOT wait for every symptom to appear Appendicitis is diagnosed through clinical signs, ultrasound, and/or CT scan There are two main surgical types to mention here as Desharnais went through it 1️⃣Laparoscopic - the surgery is done with a camera through several small cuts in the belly 2️⃣Open - the appendix is removed through one large cut Sometimes the surgery may begin laparoscopic and then become open Most patients recover very well! In an uncomplicated procedure, the patient may be able to go home the same day or the next day. All surgeries have bleeding and infection risk, and light physical activity is generally ok after 1-3 weeks, which checks out the 4-6 week timeline for Desharneis to ramp up playing hockey

Very similar and scary situation to Jake McCabe that occurred here with Nini Niederreiter Immediate concern for an eye injury The overriding immediate concern with plays like this is a open globe injury which is a surgical emergency This mechanism can also cause eyelid lacerations, orbital fractures, hyphema (pool of blood in the front of the eye), corneal abrasion/laceration, and others Would be important to protect the eye and assess vision early

Igor Chernyshov is “out for a while” after leaving the game due to this play That timing leads to the belief something is fractured versus just a contusion Kind of hard to tell exactly where the puck hit but he seems to grab that arm so a fracture to the radius/ulna are in play The ulna is on the outside exposed area there so a shaft fracture is possible, aka a “nightstick” fracture Return to play if that’s the case is about 6-8 weeks They seemed to know pretty quickly so X-rays pretty likely showed the fracture well which would put Cheryshov in some sort of cast