ATC | CAT(C) | DOMP | CSCS Injury Mechanism Specialist @InjuryExpertz Injury • Rehab • Return to Performance Looking for the connections others may have missed.
Joined April 2011
- Tweets860
- Following467
- Followers317
- Likes198
Pinned Tweet
20+ years in pro sport, rehab & performance.
I look at injuries differently.
Here I’ll break down:
• Athlete injury histories
• Complex & recurring injuries
• Return to performance
Not just WHAT happened, but WHY, and what might be getting missed.
Darren McConaghy retweeted
Brock Faber’s return to play protocol has been cleared. No timetable yet, but he can start skating in a few days
Darren McConaghy retweeted
🚨 BREAKING: The Maple Leafs have officially listed F Kirill Marchenko as “week to week” with a lower-body injury and have recalled F Dakota Joshua from his AHL conditioning loan, per @LeafsPR
Rest of Leafs injuries:
🔹 Chris Tanev has been upgraded to day-to-day
🔹 John Tavares, Nick Blankenburg and Marshall Rifai remain week-to-week
#leafs
Devin Cooley has captivated us this week, and now suffers a concerning left knee injury.
The collision while in a deep butterfly position raises concern for ligamentous injury, particularly the MCL or ACL, depending on the rotational forces involved.
Hoping it's nothing serious.....
🚨 NHL INJURY UPDATE | OCT 28
• Kirill Marchenko (TOR): Lower body, week-to-week
• Zach Hyman (EDM): Neck injury, IR
• Jared McCann (SEA): Lower body, out 10 weeks
• Rasmus Ristolainen (PHI): Upper-body reinjury, out 2+ weeks
• Chris Tanev (TOR): Upper body, day-to-day
NHL INJURY UPDATE (2/3)
• Carter Hart (VGK): Injured during morning skate, being evaluated
• Kyle Capobianco (DAL): Lower body, out at least one week
• Taylor Hall (CAR): Upper-body injury
• Jiri Kulich (BUF): Concussion protocol
• John Tavares (TOR): Lower body, week-to-week
• John Marino (UTA): Upper body, week-to-week
• Elmer Söderblom (PIT): Upper body, day-to-day
This is impressive!
Matthew Schaefer became the first player in NHL HISTORY to play an entire five-minute overtime without leaving the ice, per @FriedgeHNIC 🤯
The 19-year-old finished with 32:16 of ice time and an assist in New York's shootout win over Nashville 😳
Could oxygen availability be an overlooked factor in concussion recovery?
Interesting connection here to the emerging research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for TBI.
Commercial flying reduces oxygen pressure, while HBOT increases oxygen delivery to tissues.
Given the mitochondrial dysfunction and altered energy metabolism that can follow brain injury, it’s worth asking how changes in oxygen availability influence recovery.
The research remains inconclusive, but I think this is an area deserving much greater attention.
This article was not peer reviewed so take it with a couple grains of salt, but I was able to find a 2012 conference abstract on NFL and NHL players found that those who flew commercially soon after brain injury missed more games.
The authors suggested postponing flights by 48–72 hours until early symptoms ease.
Kirich took a big blow to the head, so likely just a precaution and is what it says
Interesting find I thought I’d share!
Kirill Marchenko's injury mechanism raises concern for an MCL sprain, with the left knee appearing to undergo valgus stress as he falls.
His skate wasn't fixed, which may have reduced the rotational forces through the knee.
Encouraging that he attempted another shift, although he ultimately left the game.
Worth noting he also missed time with a lower-body injury in February, but the location of that injury remains unclear.
Kirill Marchenko just went to the Maple Leafs dressing room after falling awkwardly on his leg
Praying it’s nothing serious…
#leafs
Darren McConaghy retweeted
Injury updates from Leafs GM John Chayka:
Chris Tanev "progressing nicely" & should rejoin practice soon
John Tavares resumed skating in Toronto
Dakota Joshua done conditioning stint & will be recalled soon
Max Domi skating on his own, remains out indefinitely
@TSN_Sports
Logan Thompson's injury history raises some interesting questions about his latest setback.
In 2018 with Brandon (WHL), he suffered a leg injury, missed the final five regular-season games, returned for the playoffs and reinjured it in Game 2, ending his season.
In February 2023 with Vegas, he suffered an apparent left-leg injury, missing 18 games. He returned in March, only to suffer another lower-body injury in his first game back. His rehabilitation subsequently stalled, with Bruce Cassidy acknowledging he wasn't responding well to the workload. He never played again that season.
In April 2025, a collision forced him into the splits, leaving him unable to bear weight on his left leg.
Now, another lower-body injury with apparent left-leg discomfort.
We don't know whether these injuries involve the same structures, but the repeated setbacks following return to play are concerning.
Is there an underlying issue with force production, load tolerance or unresolved deficits from previous injuries?
Sometimes the injury isn't the entire problem. It's what remains after the athlete returns to play.
Logan Thompson left practice after 45 minutes today, which could mean nothing and just be load management
It does not really confirm any diagnosis, but given the speculation of an adductor strain it could’ve been under recovered and loaded too early
Pain usually goes away with these strains in a couple days but can be felt with higher level activities for a couple weeks
The worst fear is a higher grade strain or insertional injury
I wrote an article on adductor strains that will help below!
Is traditional physical therapy losing the ability to think outside the protocol?
It's becoming increasingly similar to traditional medicine.
Diagnose. Follow the protocol. Treat the symptoms. Repeat.
More research. More technology. More certifications.
But less curiosity?
Are we treating individuals or simply managing diagnoses?
N=1.
Assuming this is where McCann was injured, the knee-on-knee contact raises concern for an MCL injury.
His history is particularly relevant. In April 2025, he underwent bilateral knee surgery to remove bone spurs after prolonged quadriceps discomfort. He later described significant muscle loss, difficulty jumping, and numbness and stinging when struck in the thigh. Persistent symptoms required another procedure in April 2026.
Even if this is a new traumatic injury, his previous knee problems could complicate rehabilitation and may help explain the 10-week timeline.
Jared McCann reportedly seen on crutches and now expected to miss 10 weeks with a lower-body injury. No clarity yet on whether this was contact or non-contact.
Worth noting his extensive lower-body injury history, including persistent quadriceps issues last season that required surgery.
We’re seeing more and more athletes making their own decisions about whether they feel ready to return to play.
Lamar Jackson on his high ankle sprain:
"I'm restricted. I can't really do what I do. I'm not helping nobody. If I can just go out there and be a statue and get hit, that's not helping my team at all. I feel like I'm being selfish, because it's about me at that point. For to me get out there and be hurt, that's dumb."
On playing through last year's injuries:
"I felt like that was dumb a little bit. I'm hurt and I'm tryna help my team win but I'm not to my full capability. Not even close to it, but I'm just trying."
via @Ravens
Darren McConaghy retweeted
A vascular surgeon reached out after hearing me talk about Hurts' situation on the podcast.
Posting his comments here for what it's worth:
“Small superficial clot, below the knee, I would let him play. Put on a stocking, stay hydrated, walk around the plane every hour. But, too many unknowns. Did this happen to him before? Did it happen to a parent, a sibling? If yes, changes things, I would be much more concerned.
I always ask myself. . . should this patient have a clot? Broken bone, in a cast. . .yes, a clot can happen. Young, healthy, active, uninjured- shouldn't have a clot.
Now he has progressed to an embolus. In my opinion, he should not have developed emboli from a cleat injury unless he has an underlying clotting disorder. These can be tricky to diagnose if there is no family or personal history. Like Chris Bosh, I'm concerned for his career.”
I completely agree with this approach.
Traditional "physical therapy" often follows the same model as conventional medicine, heavily focused on evidence-based protocols while leaving too little room for CURIOSITY and clinical exploration.
The human body is not a collection of isolated parts. Global anatomical relationships matter, as do the deeply rooted emotional, psychological and spiritual connections to physical health.
Research is essential, but it cannot explain every individual's experience. We need to remain curious, challenge our assumptions and recognize that healing is not always linear or easily measured.
N=1 matters.
Sometimes the individual in front of you teaches you more than the protocol ever could.
Amazing story from an obviously brilliant and gifted man who chose to change his entire future career path because he realized traditional medicine doesn’t always have all the answers.
Well worth the 10 minute watch.
I share a similar story after hating the way ‘traditional’ medicine actually practiced in real life, just 2 years after graduating from fellowship.
I spent 12 years training in medicine and only lasted 2 years in ‘traditional’ medicine. Think about that.
I was miserable and needed a change. So I removed insurance from the equation - which is often the limiting factor to success.
In my opinion, traditional (American) medicine is not able to fix all of the diseases, I think by now that’s pretty obvious.
Any treatments not supported by strong double-blinded research studies are viewed as taboo.
And that’s a shame.
At the end of the day, ‘N of 1’ studies are powerful.
That’s exactly what Nick realized in his battle with ulcerative colitis and IBD.
Stay curious.
Don’t be afraid to challenge the norm if you’re not getting the results you are looking for.
That’s the type of medicine I practice and I’m proud of that.
