football

Tony Romo Injured: Understanding Transverse Process Fractures

Football season is still young, and already all eyes are on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The star player sustained his third back injury in 18 months during an October 27 game against the Washington Redskins, causing him to have to sit out the November 2 game versus the Arizona Cardinals. Romo is no stranger to pain or back injuries. Last April he underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his back. Just eight months later, he suffered a herniated disc and underwent a second surgery. This most recent injury is what’s called a transverse process fracture—two of them, to be exact. Romo is known for playing through a tremendous amount of pain—he famously led his team to a win in a 2011 game with a cracked rib and punctured lung—but Brandon Weedon took his place in the November 2 game. The transverse process is a small wing-shaped bone that sticks out on either side of the vertebrae. Fractures are often caused by an intense, concentrated impact, and the blow that took Romo out of the game was certainly powerful: he quarterback was hit by a knee in his lumbar spine, the same area where he’d had surgery. Of course,

November 11, 2014

Kids and Football Safety

Nothing says fall more than football, whether that means watching a professional game on TV with family and friends or having your child go out for the team. Even with all the excitement around the start of the season, there are still plenty of football safety concerns, especially for younger players. The biggest question for parents is usually “at what age can my child start playing tackle football?” This question made headlines recently when former NFL coach John Madden spoke out against younger children playing the sport. “I’m a firm believer that there’s no way that a 6-year-old should have a helmet on and learn a tackling drill,” he said in an interview. Because children have proportionally larger heads to their bodies than adults, they’re more prone to injury. Mark Hyman, co-author of Concussion and Our Kids: America’s Leading Expert on How to Protect Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe argues that kids shouldn’t be allowed to play tackle football until they’re at least age 14. Even for those who wait until their freshman year of high school to play football, there’s still risk. In 2012, football was responsible for 394,350 emergency roommates in athletes under age 19. These young athletes

September 30, 2014

Peyton Manning: Cervical Fusion and Return to Play

After a hard hit in the middle of a game, it can be a long nerve-wracking moment when a player doesn’t immediately rise to their feet. In football, specifically, there is always a fear of a spine or neck injury after a bad tackle. Neck problems are quite common in football, whether a “stinger” or something more serious. But when the injury is severe and surgery becomes a necessary option, there is life after surgery – even in professional sports. In mid-2013, a study was published of seven professional football players and eight professional wrestlers who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. All fifteen were cleared to play following the surgery. Thirteen returned to their respective sports in 2-12 months, and eight are still participating in the most recent season. An earlier study from 2010 also showed that professional football players with cervical disk herniations who were treated surgically had higher return-to-play rates and longer careers than those who were treated non-surgically. Nearly 3 out of 4 NFL players treated surgically returned to play in an average of 29.3 games over a 2.8-year period. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning completed a record-breaking 34 passes in Sunday’s big game, although it did

February 7, 2014

Paralyzed Rutgers Football Player Eric LeGrand’s Inspiring Story of Recovery

Former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down after a spinal cord injury during a 2010 football game. I want to share with you his inspiring story of recovery. Paralysis is a condition that affects 5.6 million people, many of whom are able to achieve fulfilling and active lives. Eric has recently finished his college degree in labor studies, a huge milestone in his recovery. At the time of his injury, LeGrand was 60 credits short of graduation. He began attending one class at a time via Skype as soon as he was able, leading to his eventual completion, after six years, of all necessary credits in order to graduate. Working around his paralysis, LeGrand also used a stylus on a tablet with his mouth as well as the iOS voice recognition app Siri to transfer his thoughts into the written word for class assignments. “It feels good,” said LeGrand after turning in his last paper. “It shows that anything is truly possible.” He plans to be present for graduation ceremonies in May with the rest of the class of 2014. Since the fateful game, LeGrand has been attending rehabilitation therapy for several hours each weekday,

January 28, 2014

Football Helmet Safety

There is a warning label on the Riddell sports website, the nation’s largest manufacturer of football helmets, and official supplier to the NFL that reads; No helmet can prevent serious head or neck injuries a player might receive while participating in football. Do not use this helmet to butt, ram or spear an opposing player. This is in violation of the football rules and such use can result in severe head or neck injuries, paralysis and death to you and possible injury to an opponent. There is no sugar coating here. Football is a contact sport, and the number of serious injuries is alarmingly high. In the 1990’s, almost five times as many football players were sent to hospitals for neck injuries when compared to soccer and ice hockey players combined. In fact, only 6 of 32 NFL teams are entering the 2013-2014 season with no injuries to report. This number is simply astounding. The Riddell warning goes on to elaborate that symptoms may include things like loss of memory, loss of consciousness, and dizziness. Despite the warning, NFL players continue to step onto the field wearing one of their helmets, because they are simply the best option. At the same time

August 21, 2013

More Content | Blog

Tony Romo Injured: Understanding Transverse Process Fractures

Kids and Football Safety

Peyton Manning: Cervical Fusion and Return to Play

Paralyzed Rutgers Football Player Eric LeGrand’s Inspiring Story of Recovery

Football Helmet Safety