If you keep up with the NFL, then you know that Peyton Manning just had his third neck surgery in the past two years. This one was more serious than the first, and involved removing the disc between two of his cervical (neck) vertebrae, which will allow the two bones to fuse together. If you look at the picture above, you can see the nerve roots coming out of the side of the spinal cord, and the herniated disc is pressing, or impinging on the nerve root. These nerve roots carry motor signals from the brain down to the muscles, telling them when to contract and relax, and they also carry sensory information, such as touch, temperature, and pain, up to the brain. When the disc impinges on the nerve root, it disrupts these signals, causing muscle weakness (because the signal has trouble getting to the muscle), pain, discomfort, etc. Peyton's first two surgeries were less invasive and attempted to increase the space for the nerve root to pass through. The first surgery allowed him to play last year, but he began having many of the above symptoms after the season concluded so he had a second surgery in May. As Peyton prepared for this season, he was still having some of these symptoms, including weakness in his triceps muscle. This muscle extends the elbow and is crucial for a quarterback attempting 40 to 50 passes a game. Cervical nerve root seven innervates the triceps, so this leads me to believe his problem was the disc between the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. The doctors say Peyton should regain full function and be able to play football again. However, the risk of future injury is greater, and when you are dealing with the neck, it is an especially delicate situation. Peyton is only 35 years old, and hopefully has a long life ahead of him. I am not sure it is worth the risk to continue to play football if it could jeopardize his quality of life. But, that is his decision.
If you keep up with the NFL, then you know that Peyton Manning just had his third neck surgery in the past two years. This one was more serious than the first, and involved removing the disc between two of his cervical (neck) vertebrae, which will allow the two bones to fuse together. If you look at the picture above, you can see the nerve roots coming out of the side of the spinal cord, and the herniated disc is pressing, or impinging on the nerve root. These nerve roots carry motor signals from the brain down to the muscles, telling them when to contract and relax, and they also carry sensory information, such as touch, temperature, and pain, up to the brain. When the disc impinges on the nerve root, it disrupts these signals, causing muscle weakness (because the signal has trouble getting to the muscle), pain, discomfort, etc. Peyton's first two surgeries were less invasive and attempted to increase the space for the nerve root to pass through. The first surgery allowed him to play last year, but he began having many of the above symptoms after the season concluded so he had a second surgery in May. As Peyton prepared for this season, he was still having some of these symptoms, including weakness in his triceps muscle. This muscle extends the elbow and is crucial for a quarterback attempting 40 to 50 passes a game. Cervical nerve root seven innervates the triceps, so this leads me to believe his problem was the disc between the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. The doctors say Peyton should regain full function and be able to play football again. However, the risk of future injury is greater, and when you are dealing with the neck, it is an especially delicate situation. Peyton is only 35 years old, and hopefully has a long life ahead of him. I am not sure it is worth the risk to continue to play football if it could jeopardize his quality of life. But, that is his decision.
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