Green Bay Packers player out of commission for remaining NFL season due to spinal injury

Nick Collins, a safety for the Green Bay Packers, seriously injured his neck during a game on September 18, and will not be playing for the remainder of the season. This continues the recent trend of National Football League (NFL) players being sidelined by spinal injuries, most recently exemplified by Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and Richmond McGee of the Cleveland Browns.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the exact details of Collins' injury had not yet been made public. However, it was made clear by Collins' agent, Alan Herman, that the player had not suffered a broken neck or any direct damage to his spinal cord.

Additionally, Collins was apparently not suffering from any nerve compression symptomatic of spinal stenosis, a condition that effectively ended the NFL careers of two Packers players in the past.

The news source reports that Herman did characterize Collins' injury as possibly related to a disc in his neck, without elaborating any further.

Collins received his injury after being tackled by Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart. Some speculated whether this occurrence was the sole cause of the player's pain, or if it exacerbated a pre-existing injury.

The player will soon be traveling to New York City to visit a specialist in orthopedic spine care, according to the news source. While it is fairly certain that Collins will not be able to play for the rest of the 2011 NFL season, those close to him expressed confidence that his career as a whole would not end.

A herniated disc is a common cause of mild to severe upper or lower back pain. Although it is not known whether or not Collins suffered such an injury, it has affected NFL players in the past, most recently the aforementioned Peyton Manning.

Disc herniations can cause pain, tingling or numbness and weakness in the fingers or toes. They are most commonly brought on by sudden injury or trauma - an occupational hazard of professional athletes.

Conservative back pain treatments, including anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and core stabilization exercises, are typically the first response to a herniated disc.

If these methods are ineffective, back surgery may be recommended. More than 200,000 Americans undergo surgery for herniated discs in the neck each year, according to a study by the University of California San Francisco.

In order to facilitate a quick recovery, minimally invasive spine surgery techniques can be performed on patients by a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon. These procedures have a low incidence of complications and require recovery times of approximately two weeks.