In the comment sections of message boards around the Internet, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane's broken arm, which he suffered in the Super Bowl, is currently being described as, ''gruesome,'' ''gross,'' ''ghastly,'' and ''looking like a pool noodle.''
Luckily for Mr. Lane, his injury seems to pale in comparison to some of the more violent, gut-wrenching injuries in the recent history of sports.
Here's a list of some of the almost impossibly-tough-to-watch injuries, along with the team physicians who were charged with dealing with them:
Hockey
1989 — Buffalo Sabres, Clint Malarchuk
While trying to keep the puck from entering the net, the goalie was caught on his jugular vein by an opponent's flown-off ice skate. He calmly skated off the ice, bleeding profusely, with his glove stuck in the wound. That's when the team physician, Peter James, MD, got to work.
After 90 minutes of surgery and 300 stitches, Dr. James was able to save Mr. Malarhuk's life.
Football
1985 — Washington Redskins, Joe Theismann
During a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, the quarterback dropped back to pass and was met by linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, suffering a grisly compound fracture to his leg.
Charles Jackson, MD, the Redskins' team doctor, was responsible for Mr. Theismann's rehabilitation, though the quarterback never returned to the game.
The injury was referred to as "The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget'' and voted the NFL's ''Most Shocking Moment.''
Basketball
2013 — Louisville Cardinals, Kevin Ware
Proving that terrible injuries can happen even in the less-contact sports, Mr. Ware similarly suffered a compound fracture during the NCAA Midwest regional finals game against Duke, sending six inches of bone through his skin, and his teammates kneeling to the floor in tears.
Louisville University's team doctor and orthopedic surgeon, John Ellis, MD, handled the shocking injury and Mr. Ware now plays for Georgia State University with two years eligibility remaining.
Baseball
2000 — Red Sox, Bryce Florie
Facing New York Yankee's Ryan Thompson in the ninth inning of a September game, the reliever was beaned in the face by a line drive, breaking both his cheekbone and orbital socket.
Bill Morgan, MD, speaking to the press days later, expressed his concerns that reasonable vision would likely never be restored in Mr. Florie's eye. ''Over the years I've seen guys get hit, but not like that,'' he said. The retina was damaged, he said at the time, but was not detached.
Mr. Florie underwent multiple surgeries on his eye to repair fractures in facial bones, though he never was able to regain full vision.