Blunt trauma explained: How abdominal injury like Shreyas Iyer’s can affect athletes

Synopsis: Shreyas Iyer’s spleen laceration from a blunt abdominal hit in Sydney ODI highlights hidden dangers in sports. Dr. Sonal Asthana explains: no visible wound, but liver/spleen tears cause severe internal bleeding, shock. CT scan diagnoses; interventional radiology often avoids surgery. Athletes must heed disproportionate pain—early detection key; six-week rest typical for recovery.

When Indian batter Shreyas Iyer suffered a blunt abdominal injury leading to a spleen laceration and internal bleeding during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney, it drew attention to a kind of trauma that is not uncommon among athletes but is often poorly understood outside medical circles.

Iyer’s case, now under close observation by BCCI doctors and specialists in India and Australia,