Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys…..What’s With the Stretcher??
With the recent head/neck injuries that were sustained this weekend by Washington Redskins players, Dashaun Phillips and Kyshoen Jarrett (a fellow Hokie!), after helmet-to-helmet hits with the Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden I’ve decided to elaborate on what a “cervical stinger” is and how it can potentially be prevented.
(Image from Maguzz.com)
What is a “Cervical Stinger?”
A “burner” or “stinger” occurs after an acute traumatic event, typically involving significant contact to the head and/or shoulder. This event results in either a tensile (stretching) injury or a compressive injury to the brachial plexus, or the nerve roots that form the brachial plexus. …show more content…
According to MRI results 93% of these injured athletes had either cervical disc disease or cervical stenosis….. Although burners may be the result of a brachial plexus stretch injury in high school and collegiate football players seen with acute symptoms, nerve root compression in the intervertebral foramina secondary to disk disease is a more common cause in collegiate and professional players who have recurrent or chronic burner syndromes. There is a high incidence of cervical canal stenosis in football players with recurrent burner syndrome. The combination of disk disease and cervical spinal canal stenosis may lead to an alteration in normal cervical spine mechanics that may make these athletes more prone to chronic burner syndromes.”
(Levitz)
According to reports Wilson had cervical stenosis, disc removal and spinal fusion all of which the American Journal of Sports Medicine can contribute to chronic burner syndromes. However, if this is seen so often in football players of all levels I am sure you are wondering what can be done to treat and or prevent such
With the recent head/neck injuries that were sustained this weekend by Washington Redskins players, Dashaun Phillips and Kyshoen Jarrett (a fellow Hokie!), after helmet-to-helmet hits with the Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden I’ve decided to elaborate on what a “cervical stinger” is and how it can potentially be prevented.
(Image from Maguzz.com)
What is a “Cervical Stinger?”
A “burner” or “stinger” occurs after an acute traumatic event, typically involving significant contact to the head and/or shoulder. This event results in either a tensile (stretching) injury or a compressive injury to the brachial plexus, or the nerve roots that form the brachial plexus. …show more content…
According to MRI results 93% of these injured athletes had either cervical disc disease or cervical stenosis….. Although burners may be the result of a brachial plexus stretch injury in high school and collegiate football players seen with acute symptoms, nerve root compression in the intervertebral foramina secondary to disk disease is a more common cause in collegiate and professional players who have recurrent or chronic burner syndromes. There is a high incidence of cervical canal stenosis in football players with recurrent burner syndrome. The combination of disk disease and cervical spinal canal stenosis may lead to an alteration in normal cervical spine mechanics that may make these athletes more prone to chronic burner syndromes.”
(Levitz)
According to reports Wilson had cervical stenosis, disc removal and spinal fusion all of which the American Journal of Sports Medicine can contribute to chronic burner syndromes. However, if this is seen so often in football players of all levels I am sure you are wondering what can be done to treat and or prevent such