Well, after waiting most of the day, the phone finally rang around 8:20 pm. It was the neurologist. He had been in surgery most of the day and wasn't able to call any earlier.
He did get the x-rays and check them out. His diagnosis just from what he could see, was that Jonathon has what they call a Clay Shoveler's Fracture. A fractured vertibrea in the neck.
So, no more football this year. He could play if he felt up to it, but the doc was afraid he might lie about just how bad he felt and play anyway. SO, no football.
The good news, they probably won't have to do a thing to him. The old saying "Time heals all wounds" will be in effect here. We have an appt. to see the neuro doc on Monday to find out for sure what needs to be done.
So, until then...here's some medical information I copied from a website for you all to read.
Updates will follow after the next appt.
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Treatment:
Clay shoveler’s fractures tend to be stable as long as only the spinous process is involved. However, if the fracture extends into the spinolaminar region, pedicle or pillar, one must rule out spinal instability, nerve root and spinal cord involvement. The literature is unclear as to whether the avulsed spinous fragment should be excised. However, treatment should begin with a conservative approach. This typically may involve the use of a soft cervical collar, especially in the acute stage. The collar may be worn intermittently to prevent muscle atrophy over a period of 4–6 weeks. Modalities such as ultrasound or microcurrent may be applied to damaged soft tissues. If severe pain persists even after conservative management, then surgical excision of the avulsed fragment may be warranted.
Prognosis:
Non-union of the avulsed fragment is common due to themuscular pull in this region. However, with minimal displacementof the avulsed fragment, reattachment may occur. Typical clay shoveler’s fractures tend to heal without residual sequelae in terms of neck function or pain.
For more technical info on this, go to:
www.jcca-online.org/client/cca/
JCCA.nsf/objects/An+atypical+clay+shoveler
Saturday, September 23, 2006
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