Major complications of the use of local anaesthetic to allow early return to play
| Injury | Complication |
|---|---|
| Acromioclavicular joint sprain (2) | Distal clavicle osteolysis (2). In both cases this complication was somewhat expected and the two players were able to delay surgery until the end of the season. Both made a full recovery. (Major complication no 8) |
| Chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy | Partial rupture of Achilles tendon at anterior portion insertion which required immediate surgery. This complication was expected, with the decision to attempt a local block made on the eve of finals. The player was able to return to play the following season after successful surgery. (Major complication no 2) |
| Adductor longus tendon partial tear | This was an acute contact mechanism injury. Local anaesthetic was used to enable the player to play two games in a finals series. The player developed chronic adductor tendinopathy and missed eight games the following season, although eventually made a full recovery. (Major complication no 8) |
| Prepatellar bursitis | Mild prepatellar bursa infection 2 days after game, which was successfully treated by aspiration and oral antibiotics. The player was able to return to play the following weekend without local anaesthetic injection. Of further note is that 2 weeks later, he suffered a partial tear of the quadriceps tendon in the same knee. This was a contact mechanism injury and he was not injected for that game. He missed 5 weeks with this injury but did not require surgery and made a full recovery. (Major complication no 6) |
| Scapholunate ligament tear | This was an early season injury diagnosed as being likely to require surgery. The player elected to play the remainder of the season and delay surgery. Local anaesthetic was used for three of these games during the remainder of the season, but was not used in 21 games. After surgery (wrist reconstruction) he made a full functional recovery. It is possible that he may suffer late degenerative changes related to this injury. (Major complication no 8) |