Extreme sports really can break your back, and that was certainly the case for Joe Gibbs racing driver Denny Hamlin, who crashed his race car in the final lap of a NASCAR Sprint Cup competition.
The seriousness of a broken back may range from a mild hairline fracture of one vertebra to multiple shattered vertebrae with loss of feeling or motion. The latter is an extremely serious injury, and care should be taken to avoid moving the person at all unless avoiding movement puts the person’s life in peril. If you are ever present during such an injury, call for emergency help and keep the person warm.
When someone crushes or fractures one or more of the spinal vertebra, extreme care should be taken to avoid exacerbating injury to the nerves in the spinal column. If the situation demands a person be moved in order to keep them alive, then every effort should be made to keep from twisting or turning the victim, which could damage the nerves in the spinal column.
Fortunately, using today’s surgical techniques, physicians can preserve function, even in the aftermath of a severe injury, which was the case for Natalie Morris. After she broke her back in a horrific fall at home, she was warned she might never walk again.
A vertebra in the 26-year-old’s spine cracked and burst open, tearing ligaments and tendons, which could have left her paralyzed. Following spinal surgery to repair the damage, the surgeon considered her fortunate to have retained both sensation and a full range of motion.
Doctors initially feared the worst, describing the break as ‘toe curling,’ but remarkably, Ms. Morris was left with no lasting injuries and was up and about three days after her restorative surgery.
Spinal surgery has come a long way, and microsurgical techniques combined with high-resolution imaging technology has preserved a full range of motion for many patients. That’s very good news when unexpected events slam your life around a proverbial pole.