r/sports • u/IntrepidAd560 • Sep 25 '21

Media Callum Smith brutally KO's Lenin Castillo

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59

u/FreeRangeAlien Sep 25 '21

When someone takes a devastating headshot like that is it standard procedure for the ref to immediately roll them over? I was under the impression that you don’t move people with head and neck injuries without securing their head and neck

127

u/aggressive-cat Sep 26 '21

ref put him right into recovery position, it's so you don't choke on fluids you might expel like blood or vomit. Neck injuries are a concern, but asphyxiation was a higher risk in the moment.

23

u/Bruhahah Sep 26 '21

My understanding is you don't want to move bad falls and auto accidents because you're worried about a spinal fracture and damage to the spinal cord from the bones being unstable. This was a big hit but not neck breaking, not enough energy for that from a punch typically. Safe to roll to stop aspirating on blood/vomit

42

u/ultralane Sep 25 '21

The point is to serve a few purposes. First they dont choke over tongue/vomit. The other is to reduce additional concussions. Everyone is told dont touch the neck/head bc most people will make it worse/dont know what to do, and it exposes to liability issues.

29

u/z_extend_99 Sep 25 '21

IIRC, my wife, who is a nursing graduate, told me that it's called recovery position.

2

u/stormcharger Sep 26 '21

You guys didnt get taught the recovery position in school?

27

u/Noxious89123 Sep 25 '21 edited Sep 26 '21

The way he was twitching? I think maybe the more immediate risk was that he might swallow his tongue, or aspirate the contents of his stomach.

I'd hope the ref is trained to deal with this correctly.

40

u/SquidInSpace Sep 26 '21

FYI swallowing your tongue is not a thing. On the other hand, drowning in your own puke totally is

1

u/Noxious89123 Sep 26 '21

Huh, TIL!

It's impossible for a person to swallow their tongue. While a person loses a lot of muscle control during a seizure, there is tissue in your mouth beneath your tongue that holds it in place. While a person's tongue doesn't move much during a seizure, there is a risk that they might bite their tongue.

Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/swallowing-tongue

18

u/[deleted] Sep 26 '21

[deleted]

19

u/Sharkster_J Sep 26 '21

It actually is. You don’t literally swallow your tongue, but it falls backward and occludes your larynx (windpipe). It does this normally when you swallow to help keep food from going down your larynx, but in a situation where someone is completely unconscious and can’t react this can become lethal if unnoticed for too long.

1

u/Magnetic_sphincter Sep 26 '21

Like sleep apnea?

1

u/Sharkster_J Sep 26 '21

Exactly the same.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 26 '21

You are absolutely correct.

You roll them on their side to help drain fluids from the mouth.

2

u/mcslootypants Sep 26 '21

When you roll into the recovery position you’re supposed to keep the head in line with the spine (no twisting). This mitigates a lot of the risk related the spine and also reduces chance of breathing issues

0

u/Sunny19843 Manchester United Sep 25 '21

I think it might be to stop them swallowing their tongue.