Just a little about spinal stenosis and football. According to the weight of medical opinion, players with stenosis are at no greater risk for career ending injury than those without. However, more likely to deal with chronic stingers and possibly a condition called spinal cord neuropraxia. (But no indication that LVE has the latter)
https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/sports/2013-01-23/the-nfl-beat-spinal-stenosis/
“The
Chronicle caught up this week with
Dr. Andrew Hecht, co-director of spine surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, spine surgical consultant for the New York Jets and New York Islanders, and a member of the NFL Brain and Spine Committee.
Dr. Hecht described the condition as a congenitally narrow spinal canal that is usually identified upon investigation of neck sprains, "stingers," or "burners."
Various imaging tests such as MRIs are often taken when patients are given these less-severe diagnoses to make sure that stenosis, fracture, or a disc herniation is not to blame as a possible cause.
According to Dr. Hecht, approximately half of all NFL players will suffer a stinger at some point in their career. A stinger is a minor irritation to one of the nerve roots or brachial plexus that branch out from the spinal cord at the levels of various vertebrae.
This occurs when players take hits to the head, shoulder, and neck area, and results in a jolt of burning, tingling, weakness, and even possible temporary paralysis through the shoulder down the arm. A stinger only affects a unilateral arm and is usually temporary.
It isn't pleasant, but it is common. Congential spinal stenosis is not.
According to Dr. Hecht, players with spinal stenosis are at increased risk of stingers. However, they are also at risk for a more serious condition called cervical cord neuropraxia. Dr. Hecht had much to say about cervical cord neuropraxia, but the main distinguishing difference in this condition and a stinger is the presence of these symptoms in multiple limbs; both arms, both legs, or an arm and a leg.
With all this said, Dr. Hecht was extremely clear about one thing. "Congenital spinal stenosis is not a contraindication of playing football."
In other words, you can play with it. Nothing about spinal stenosis indicates that you can’t.
In fact, research shows that players with spinal stenosis are at no greater risk of devastating spinal cord injury than any other player with a normal-sized spinal canal. This flies in the face of what one could logically expect, but it is indeed the case.”
