Steven Jackson herniated disc (1 Viewer)

[gianmarco]

I don't see the reward in having Jackson play. The risk seems considerable

The risk is considerable for what? For what reason?

 

[ATC1]

Exactly. He is going to need surgery--herniated disks don't heal on their own. They should get him the surgery now so he has more time to recover for next year and so that he does less damage. FYI, I am not convinced he is going to play much more despite what they say. Many people can't even stand staight or walk with a herniated disk.

A lot of people can have disk problems, but be symptom free because it doesn't hit a nerve. It all depends on the nerve root impingment from the disks. Because he is able to play tells me he has some back soreness, but it's not prohiting him from playing. Probably had an MRI, that showed disk problems, but no nerve involvement. If he was having numbness, tingling or weakness in his legs, no way would he be able to play. Those people need the surgery. If those symptoms are not there there is an 80% chance of recovery without surgery.

What do you mean by "recovery"? Do you mean that his herniation will heal on its own? Or are you saying he has an 80% chance of being non-symptomatic without surgery?Just seems that "recovery" equates to "fixed" in most people's mind. A herniated disc doesn't heal or repair on it's own from what I've been told. His symptoms (pain) may be controlled with some rest or pain meds, but the underlying injury is still present and just waiting to flare up again...something likely to happen as long as he keeps doing what is causing his present flare-up...which is playing football. I wouldn't call the alleviation of pain absent a correction of the injury a recovery, but instead learning to live with it and engaging in "pain management".

Not picking a fight, I'm just trying to flesh this out and learn something.

If that 80% were NFL players it might mean something, but I wonder how many of those 80% play a violent sport where they slam their body into other huge players 20 times or more? The stress of playing RB on a back has to be tremendous--I just don't see how anyone could do it for long with a herniated disk. Would be interested in hearing about some players who have played with this condition for an extended period of time because I can't think of any.

I think what folks are missing here is that not all disk herniations are equal. Many people have this issue and have no symptoms at all. No one in this thread really knows the degree of SJax's injury but it would seem there is no nerve impingement. Disk injuries are often treated without surgery and often surgery is of no more benefit then conservative treatment. To be honest I have not heard of spinal surgery for a disk herniation being done in hopes of extending a players career as some in this thread seem to think should be done. Are there any orthopods out there. It seems like most surgeons in this thread thus far have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.

I work for a sportsmedicine ortho. He tells his patients that in cases where there isn't any nevre impringement causing weakness in the leg(s), 80% will recover nonoperatively. The time table of recovery is very sporatic though. Now granted the patients he see is college recreation league (rugby, lacrose, flag football) players. Not NFL players.

 

[JamesTheScot]

I work for a sportsmedicine ortho. He tells his patients that in cases where there isn't any nevre impringement causing weakness in the leg(s), 80% will recover nonoperatively. The time table of recovery is very sporatic though. Now granted the patients he see is college recreation league (rugby, lacrose, flag football) players. Not NFL players.

But what does he mean by that? Is he saying it will heal and go away? Or is he saying that the pain symptoms can be alleviated absent surgery and that the patient can learn to cope with the injury while leading a more or less normal life? That nuance may seem insignificant at first glance, but it really isn't...especially for an NFL RB.If Jackson has a herniated disc that won't heal if they shut him down, all putting him on IR will do is save him some pain. It won't make the injury go away or extend his career. It means that come September 2010, he'll be a likely candidate again for more back pain as the pads start crunching.

I don't see IR as an option unless the pain is just too great. I don't see that risk of further injury or the chances of fixing the problem are at all influenced one way or the other by his continued participation this season. It appears to be simply a pain tolerance issue.

 

[ATC1]

I work for a sportsmedicine ortho. He tells his patients that in cases where there isn't any nevre impringement causing weakness in the leg(s), 80% will recover nonoperatively. The time table of recovery is very sporatic though. Now granted the patients he see is college recreation league (rugby, lacrose, flag football) players. Not NFL players.

But what does he mean by that? Is he saying it will heal and go away? Or is he saying that the pain symptoms can be alleviated absent surgery and that the patient can learn to cope with the injury while leading a more or less normal life? That nuance may seem insignificant at first glance, but it really isn't...especially for an NFL RB.If Jackson has a herniated disc that won't heal if they shut him down, all putting him on IR will do is save him some pain. It won't make the injury go away or extend his career. It means that come September 2010, he'll be a likely candidate again for more back pain as the pads start crunching.

I don't see IR as an option unless the pain is just too great. I don't see that risk of further injury or the chances of fixing the problem are at all influenced one way or the other by his continued participation this season. It appears to be simply a pain tolerance issue.

Core stability and neuromuscular control plays a large part in reducing the amount of stress put on a patient with a herniated disk. I heard that the tisse can scar in and heal, but probably not the case with a herniation. Also, I would imagine the core stability of an NFL player would be rather good to begin with, but it could surprise you in how weak they really are in that area and how it can be neglected in the workout regimine.

 

[MCguidance]

This sounds like a guy that will continue to play and play hard. Unless he sits out, I for one won't bench him. Top 5 in my PPR league, I'd be much more upset to see him go off on my bench than Maroney. Just my opinion, but that's how I feel.

http://www.athletenewswire.com/news/wwwsj3...pain/2009/12/14

December 14, 2009

Fighting Through the Pain

* by Devon Jeffreys

* .

* www.sj39.com

He only carried 19 times for 47 yards on Sunday, but to see Steven Jackson run each of those 19 times was to see a man battling with every fiber of his being for his team and his fans.

Steven’s never-say-die running style was not enough for the Rams to overcome the Tennessee Titans vaunted rushing attack or the tribulations of St. Louis rookie quarterback Keith Null in a 47-7 loss on Sunday. But it can be said with absolute certainty that SJ39 has not given up on his team -- even when everyone else has already buried them.

Despite the struggles of the Rams and a back injury, Steven has the second-most rushing yards in the entire NFL (courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

Early Sunday, reports stated that No. 39 had been kept out of practice for the last three weeks for a herniated disc. Had Steven decided to sit out then, anyone would have understood. That is not the nature of the NFL's most driven running back. Even on a 1-12 team, he played on, and since the injury surfaced before the November 29 game against Seattle, No. 39 has rushed for 248 yards on 70 carries.

He remains the workhorse back for a struggling Rams team that on Sunday used its third quarterback of the season. S-Jax leads the league in rushing attempts with 285 and he’s still second in rushing yards with 1,279.

The Titans keyed on Steven all day on Sunday and the Rams could accomplish little to help him get a hole to run through, as Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“We did a good job of stopping a really good running back,” Vanden Bosch said. “He gets a lot of yards after contact, but we were getting two or three guys to the ball, not letting him get those extra yards. “That’s what defense is all about: stopping the run.”

Steven had little to say after the game. But despite his deep frustration, S-Jax wouldn’t allow his emotions to boil over. As quoted in the Belleville News-Democrat:

“Instead of standing here embarrassing myself, and my family, I’m just going to say I’m tired. I’m just tired. I’m tired. You fill in the blanks. However you want to write the article, however you want to say it, I’m just tired,” Jackson said before walking away from his locker.

In a report for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, columnist Bernie Miklasz echoed Steven’s sentiments:

“Tired of the losing?

Tired of playing with a stiff, sore back for a lost cause?

Tired of getting beaten up every week?

“I’m tired. You fill in the blanks,” Jackson said. “However you want to write the article, however you want to say it, I’m just tired.”

Aren’t we all, Steven.

Aren’t we all.”

 

[HULLOBUDMAN]

I work for a sportsmedicine ortho. He tells his patients that in cases where there isn't any nevre impringement causing weakness in the leg(s), 80% will recover nonoperatively. The time table of recovery is very sporatic though. Now granted the patients he see is college recreation league (rugby, lacrose, flag football) players. Not NFL players.

But what does he mean by that? Is he saying it will heal and go away? Or is he saying that the pain symptoms can be alleviated absent surgery and that the patient can learn to cope with the injury while leading a more or less normal life? That nuance may seem insignificant at first glance, but it really isn't...especially for an NFL RB.If Jackson has a herniated disc that won't heal if they shut him down, all putting him on IR will do is save him some pain. It won't make the injury go away or extend his career. It means that come September 2010, he'll be a likely candidate again for more back pain as the pads start crunching.

I don't see IR as an option unless the pain is just too great. I don't see that risk of further injury or the chances of fixing the problem are at all influenced one way or the other by his continued participation this season. It appears to be simply a pain tolerance issue.

Obviously all situations are not the same. I have a herniated disk at c4/c5 as a result of taking a bad throw in Jiu Jitsu. Pain can be relieved and there are things that can be done in order to help relieve the pain but I have been told that there is no recovery without surgery in my future. I have however been in physical therapy and received multiple cortizone shots into my cervical spine to reduce the swelling/discomfort. Also I believe that if there is nerve impingment the injury is reclassified as a ruptured disk and depending on where that reupture is can cause serious problems. **not a doctor**

 

[meatwad1]

This sounds like a guy that will continue to play and play hard. Unless he sits out, I for one won't bench him. Top 5 in my PPR league, I'd be much more upset to see him go off on my bench than Maroney. Just my opinion, but that's how I feel.

http://www.athletenewswire.com/news/wwwsj3...pain/2009/12/14

I don't know...I am leaning toward replacing him in my line up with either Maroney or Jacobs. The back thing is a cause for concern, but my real concern is that they are down their two guards this week, and that qb (whatever his name is) sucks more than a newborn baby. Plus the matchup sucks this week. This is pretty much Custer's Last Stand for the Texans, you can bet that they will be a. gunning to be up early and b. playing passionate D.

I will not deny that this is one tough sob, and one of the most talented rbs in the league, but you are talking about a guy who is pretty much one hit away from being put on the shelf. The Rams team right now is like a Murphy's Law coloring book, they are team that started the year with marginal talent who have been hit harder by injury by probably anyother team. I just don't feel good about this.