The good news is that Brazil’s young “soccer god,” Neymar, will recover following a worrisome spine injury he incurred during the quarterfinal World Cup game against Colombia. The bad news is that he will not play for Brazil in the remainder of the World Cup.
Soccer is more than a game in Brazil; it’s a religion. That’s the cliché, but behind that cliché is the supreme truth. For a country that defines itself by the game and its long history of domination, and has constructed 12 stadiums and spent an estimated $14 billion to host this World Cup, losing its star player devastated the country.
Neymar’s Spine Injury
In the 88th minute of the quarter-final game, Neymar was hit in the lower back by a drive from the knee of opposing Colombian player Juan Zuniga. That resulted in a fracture to the L3 vertebrae in his back. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and airlifted to the hospital.
And then the craziness began to emerge, including videos of little children crying and praying on Neymar’s behalf, and more, a wild report that he could somehow be rehabilitated to resume play in the World Cup.
An article was released by SBNation that quoted a Portuguese report on globesporte.com. It repeated a claim that doctors would provide pain killers so that Neymar would be able to take to the field.
The spine specialists at Advanced Neurosurgery Associates (ANA) believed that while it didn’t sound like Neymar’s fracture required a surgical procedure, it was unlikely he could return to play in the World Cup. If he did, he would certainly risk further injury to the spine.
Neymar’s Back Injury Treatment
While a fall or blunt object could fracture some of the bones, in addition to a knee to the back qualifying as a source of injury, the injury could also include disruption to the surrounding ligaments.
The SBNation article, which makes it clear there is no credible evidence that anyone actually considers Neymar able to play again in the World Cup, quotes the explanation that in addition to pain-killing injections, “A procedure would involve isolating the 22-year-old’s vertebrae to return full feeling to his extremities.”
In addition to the possibility of further spinal damage by trying to play, any isolating of the vertebral fracture would require surgical intervention. An external brace immobilizes the fracture, and that is what was indicated—but not for an upcoming game of soccer; rather, it is utilized for the 6-8 week healing process.
ANA is a team of expert neurosurgeons and medical professionals, who combine their decades of knowledge to provide information, events, and articles on a range of neurological conditions.
