Mechanisms of injury--a pictorial record

The illustrations of both these incidents show, with extraordinary detail, the mechanism of injury involved in the production of these lesions. It is often difficult, when dealing with the end product of trauma of any description, to appreciate its mechanism of occurrence and gain an accurate estimate of the amount of force which has produced the damage. The two photographic sequences highlight the problem of attempting to prevent sporting injuries, as in both cases the incidents illustrated (Fig. 1 and Fig. 4) would not necessarily be interpreted as ones which precede major sporting injuries. In the case of the knee injury, the forcible anterior translocation of the tibia, as pictured, demonstrates well the mechanism of the tear produced in the anterior cruciate. In the case showing the injury to the spine, the position of the back prior to impact is exactly in keeping with the flexion/rotation forces which cause such spinal damage. The camera has recorded with impassionate accuracy the fact that major injuries, far from always having a preventable cause, are inherent in all high-velocity body-contact sports.