stillers4me
06-03-2012, 06:53 AM
Back injuries like the one that could have ended Steelers linebacker James Harrison’s career are becoming an increasing pain for NFL players and teams.
Harrison, a Pro Bowl pass rusher who is entering the fourth year of a six-year, $51.75 million contract, had two surgeries in 2011 to repair a herniated disc in his lower back.
Spine (back), head and neck injuries accounted for 10 percent of all reported NFL injuries between 2004-09, according to an NFL Players Association report released last year.
“I believe that back injuries are more common now than they used to be in the NFL population,” said Dr. Wellington Hsu, an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He co-authored a study of NFL linemen’s back injuries that appeared in 2010 in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Returning to the lineup six months ahead of projections in 2011, Harrison tied for the team lead with nine sacks. But he acknowledged that he briefly considered retirement because of post-surgical pain..........
read more @ http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/1892887-85/nfl-smith-harrison-disc-pain-steelers-surgery-injuries-maroon-team
Harrison, a Pro Bowl pass rusher who is entering the fourth year of a six-year, $51.75 million contract, had two surgeries in 2011 to repair a herniated disc in his lower back.
Spine (back), head and neck injuries accounted for 10 percent of all reported NFL injuries between 2004-09, according to an NFL Players Association report released last year.
“I believe that back injuries are more common now than they used to be in the NFL population,” said Dr. Wellington Hsu, an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He co-authored a study of NFL linemen’s back injuries that appeared in 2010 in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Returning to the lineup six months ahead of projections in 2011, Harrison tied for the team lead with nine sacks. But he acknowledged that he briefly considered retirement because of post-surgical pain..........
read more @ http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/1892887-85/nfl-smith-harrison-disc-pain-steelers-surgery-injuries-maroon-team