While concussions are fairly common injuries in highly physical sports like professional soccer, pneumothoraxes, or collapsed lungs are far more unusual and unexpected by players and physicians alike.
When Chicago Fire FC midfielder Jonathan Dean came down exceptionally hard after a header challenge in an away match in March 2025, he was taken off the field, evaluated for a concussion and later flew home with the team.
“I knew I didn’t have a concussion, but I knew something wasn’t right,” said Dean. “I came down pretty hard and landed on the right side of my chest and face.”
Resting at home the next day, Dean felt off and even a little short of breath after just a short walk with his dogs.
Following a check-in call the day after the game from Jason Koh, MD, the team’s Chief Medical Officer and Endeavor Health orthopaedic surgeon, Dean was scheduled for an evaluation with Danielle Bass, MD, Endeavor Health sports medicine specialist.
Dr. Bass, who’s also part of the official team of doctors for the Fire, ruled out a concussion, examined Dean’s neck and shoulder where he had some pain, and though she didn’t see a problem, she knew something was definitely wrong.
She ordered a chest X-ray and quickly saw a large pneumothorax, speculating that he fell with such force that his lung compressed quickly as he hit the ground.
“It’s pretty rare to have an injury like this, a spontaneous pneumothorax,” said Dr. Bass, who also played collegiate soccer.
Dean was immediately sent to the Endeavor Health Emergency Department, where he had a CAT scan and an exam with a thoracic surgeon for further evaluation.
“It all happened pretty quickly and efficiently,” recalled Dean.
As it had already been a couple of days since the injury and Dean was still functioning reasonably well, the medical team decided to see if the lung would inflate on its own, as sometimes happens. But a subsequent scan showed that the lung was still collapsed and Dean had a chest tube inserted to inflate his lung.
After a two-day hospitalization where his lungs were monitored with the chest tube, Dean was back home and feeling much better.
Remarkably, he was back to practicing and playing with the Fire in less than four weeks. “It was exciting to hear how well he did and great to see him back playing so quickly,” said Dr. Bass.
“I’m really thankful for Dr. Bass and that she listened to me and was so diligent. I was planning to go to practice that afternoon,” said Dean, who obviously could have been in a far more serious situation had the injury not been diagnosed.
“It’s so gratifying to be able to provide this high level of comprehensive care for our Chicago Fire players,” said Dr. Koh. “We are proud of our relationship as the official health system, sports medicine and orthopaedic provider for the team.”
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