ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The Buffalo, N.Y., football player who suffered a spinal cord injury a week ago may never fully recover, but his chances were increased by his treatment.
The 15 minutes it took to remove Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett off the field after he suffered a spinal cord injury may seem like a long time for someone needing acute medical care, but it shows how critical it is to carefully move a player with a suspected spinal cord injury, said Dr. Glenn Rechtine, of the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Using electromagnetic tracking devices, which can measure movement down to fractions of a millimeter, the researchers analyzed data to pinpoint which removal method produced the least amount of cervical spine movement.
The Modified Lift and Slide has one person hold the player’s head and three people straddle the body, and together they all lift the player while a fifth person slides a board under the player, produces the least movement to an injured cervical spine.
The findings have been published in Spine, the Journal of Trauma, the Journal of Neurosurgery Spine and is scheduled to be published in the Journal of Athletic Training.
