eMedicine Specialties > Sports Medicine > Face and Head

Facial Soft Tissue Injuries: Follow-up

Author: Kyle D Parish, MD, Private Practice, Family Medicine and Sports Medicine
Coauthor(s): Valerie E Cothran, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Assistant Team Physician, University of Maryland
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jul 10, 2008

Follow-up

Return to Play

Return to play should be based on the location and severity of the injury, sport and position requirements, and risk of the injury causing a concomitant injury. Most athletes are able to return to play immediately after treatment on the sideline or in the training room. When making return-to-play decisions, attention should be given to whether the area in question can be protected from further injury.

Related Medscape topic:
Resource Center Exercise and Sports Medicine

Complications

See Medical Issues/Complications for a list of potential complications.

Prevention

The use of protective equipment, such as helmets and headgear, face masks, eye protection (shields or goggles), and mouthpieces are useful in preventing some types of facial soft-tissue injuries. Importantly, make sure the rules of the sport allow for the use of such protective equipment before recommending or providing the protective equipment.

Prognosis

The prognosis for most facial soft-tissue injuries is good; the injuries usually heal rapidly, allowing the athlete to return to play. Knowing the expectations of the athlete and the athlete's family is important to ensure the treatment result is optimal.

Education

Proper home wound care should be clearly explained to the patient and his or her family.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

More so in facial injuries than injury to any other part of the body, the biggest pitfall from a medicolegal standpoint is a poor cosmetic outcome. Others include missed a foreign body, unrecognized nerve injury, wound infection, and premature return to play.

Related Medscape topics:
Resource Center Aesthetic Medicine
Resource Center Exercise and Sports Medicine
Resource Center Medical Malpractice and Legal Issues
Resource Center Sepsis

 


More on Facial Soft Tissue Injuries

Overview: Facial Soft Tissue Injuries
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Facial Soft Tissue Injuries
Treatment & Medication: Facial Soft Tissue Injuries
Follow-up: Facial Soft Tissue Injuries
Multimedia: Facial Soft Tissue Injuries
References
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References

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  2. Roccia F, Diaspro A, Nasi A, Berrone S. Management of sport-related maxillofacial injuries. J Craniofac Surg. Mar 2008;19(2):377-82. [Medline].

  3. ADA Council on Access, Prevention, and Interprofessional Relations; ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. Using mouthguards to reduce the incidence and severity of sports-related oral injuries. J Am Dent Assoc. Dec 2006;137(12):1712-20; quiz 1731. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  4. Echlin PS, Upshur RE, Peck DM, Skopelja EN. Craniomaxillofacial injury in sport: a review of prevention research. Br J Sports Med. May 2005;39(5):254-63. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  5. Romeo SJ, Hawley CJ, Romeo MW, Romeo JP. Facial injuries in sports. A team physician's guide to diagnosis and treatment. Phys Sportsmed. Apr 2005;33(4):[Full Text].

  6. Stackhouse T. On-site management of nasal injuries. Phys Sportsmed. Aug 1998;26(8):[Full Text].

  7. Kaufman BR, Heckler FR. Sports-related facial injuries. Clin Sports Med. Jul 1997;16(3):543-62. [Medline].

  8. Beam JW. Tissue adhesives for simple traumatic lacerations. J Athl Train. Apr-Jun 2008;43(2):222-4. [Medline].

  9. Barr A, Baines PS, Desai P, MacEwen CJ. Ocular sports injuries: the current picture. Br J Sports Med. Dec 2000;34(6):456-8. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  10. Bodor RM, Breithaupt AD, Buncke GM, Bailey JR, Buncke HJ. Swimmer's nose deformity. Ann Plast Surg. Jun 2008;60(6):658-60. [Medline].

  11. Capão Filipe JA, Rocha-Sousa A, Falcão-Reis F, Castro-Correia J. Modern sports eye injuries. Br J Ophthalmol. Nov 2003;87(11):1336-9. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  12. Curtin JW. Basic plastic surgical techniques in repair of facial lacerations. Surg Clin North Am. Feb 1973;53(1):33-46. [Medline].

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Further Reading

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Keywords

facial soft-tissue injuries, facial trauma, facial injury, facial fracture, face injury, cauliflower ear, subperichondrial hematoma, sports-related soft-tissue injury, facial laceration, facial abrasion, broken nose, epistaxis, facemask, face mask, maxillofacial trauma, maxillofacial injury, lip laceration, lip injury, eyelid injury, scalp injury, tongue injury, tongue laceration, corneal abrasion

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Kyle D Parish, MD, Private Practice, Family Medicine and Sports Medicine
Kyle D Parish, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Valerie E Cothran, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Assistant Team Physician, University of Maryland
Valerie E Cothran, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Gerard A Malanga, MD, Founder and Director, New Jersey Sports Medicine Institute; Director of Pain Management, Overlook Hospital; Director of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine Fellowship Director, Mountainside Hospital; Clinical Chief, Rehabilitation Medicine and Electrodiagnosis, St Michael's Medical Center; Medical Director, Consultant, Horizon Healthcare Worker's Compensation Services, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Worker's Compensation
Gerard A Malanga, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American College of Sports Medicine, North American Spine Society, and Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports and Occupational Rehabilitation
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Russell D White, MD, Professor of Medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Truman Medical Center Lakewood
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Jon B Whitehurst, MD, Clinical Instructor of Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine; Partner and Executive Board Member, Rockford Orthopedic Associates; Orthopedic Chairman, Rockford Memorial Hospital
Jon B Whitehurst, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy Association of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Craig C Young, MD, Professor, Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Community and Family Medicine, Medical Director of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine Fellowship Director, Medical College of Wisconsin
Craig C Young, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, Phi Beta Kappa, and Wilderness Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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