A dislocated collarbone isn’t uncommon in children playing sports but for Isaiah Muzaale (9), his quick injury on the football field resulted in a week stint in hospital and fears of trauma to his cardiac vessels, upper limb, and head vessels.
Isaiah had a posterior dislocation, popping his collarbone right next to his vessels and windpipe. One wrong move could have put him in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
Isaiah lives in Paisley with his brother Elijah (7) and his parents Kerry and Edwin Muzaale. Like many active schoolboys, Isaiah is a member of various sport clubs including his local football team, the Glenvale Boys 2014s, Taekwondo, and the school dodgeball team.
Promisingly, he also plays for Hearts of Midlothian FC at Academy Level (2014s), training with the team three or more times a week. Football is his passion.
On Friday, 7th June 2024, Isaiah was playing with Hearts against Glasgow Rangers Academy. He was having a great game when he had an accidental clash with a player and fell to the ground in pain.
His parents rushed him straight to the closest hospital, the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Edinburgh.
His mum, Kerry explained:
“When we arrived at the hospital, they gave an Xray, but it came back clear. Seeing how much pain he was in, the doctors gave him a CT scan and found that he had a dislocation. We are so grateful to the team there. They advised that, to repair this, a cardiac team would be needed on standby for the worst case scenario.”
The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow is the specialist Cardiac Centre for Children and has other specialist teams that enabled Isaiah to be assessed for the best treatment plan.
Kerry continued: “We were then looped in with the Paediatric Major Trauma Coordinators at the Royal Hospital for Children Glasgow and advised that we would be transported there for the team to assess and operate on Isaiah. At Glasgow, he was given an MRI and ultrasound for more detail.
“His surgeon, Miss Claire Murnaghan, was amazing. Due to the rarity of this accident, Mrs Murnaghan reached out globally to surgeons to discuss options and created a surgical plan for Isaiah.
“We’re delighted to say that on Friday, 14th June, he had his surgery successfully and was home on the Saturday. He is feeling a lot better. The big problem now is getting him to stay still so that he can heal properly.”
Kerry also explained how invaluable the support that Isaiah and the family received during that week was.
“Thinking that your son has a broken bone is one thing. Learning that he could end up in the PICU is another. Thank goodness for the trauma coordinators who were our point of contact throughout our hospital journey. They answered every question and truly looked after us.
“We also cannot believe the support from the football community at academy and first team level. We’ve had video messages from Hearts and St. Mirren, and offers of physio support from team doctors, including from Rangers. We’re overwhelmed with their kindness.”
Isaiah is on the mend but will require close supervision, no contact sports and physio sessions to get him back on track.
Jenna Hills, Paediatric Major Trauma Coordinator at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow said:
“At the hospital, we are focused on person-centred care and, as a major trauma centre, it is important to have one point of contact for parents and carers when there are multiple people involved in treating their little one.
“We make relationships with the families, like Isaiah’s, and we are so happy when we get to see them leave here together with a smile on their face. We are delighted to hear that Isaiah is doing well at home. He was so brave during his time with us, and we look forward to hearing when he is back playing football in a few months. We have a feeling we’ll see him scoring goals on TV one day,” she said.
