I heart Peyton Manning. Period. Paragraph. And like everyone else on the world, I hope the future of Peyton Manning is action packed.
I hope it's as bling as the Super Bowl champ has ever been! The mystery at hand is will it even be dim candle light?
Let's go over some background information on the scandelous surgery process:
Peyton Manning had a single level anterior spinal fusion. Anterior means front side of the spine. The surgery involves making an incision at the front of the neck, without cutting any tendons. Have you noticed the scar, if you've seen Peyton on the sidelines?
The disc is very skillfully removed from the nerve and spinal cord. The surgeon then fills the free disc space with a bone graft. The graft acts as a connector between the two vertebrae, creating a spinal fusion. Metal plates and screws are usually used to hold the bone graft and vertebrae together.
This kind of surgery is not out of the ordinary to a spinal surgeon. He most likely does 1 or 2 of these a day. He can lkely do it with his eyes closed.
Manning had a "pinched nerve." What does a pinched nerve mean? It usually means a disc herniation or an arthritic neck has caused irritation to the nerve. This can be pretty painful with serious symptoms.
Quick review of the life and times of an Indianapolis back doctor:
We see this kind of patient walk through our doors twice a week or so, so they are easy to notice. Pain, numbness in the arm, sometimes tingling in the fingers, maybe a little bit weak.
I'm still fresh in practice (little over a year) but don't get misunderstand me, I've probably treated upwards of 50 people in the last year with these kinds of symptoms and I'm yet to have 1 go to surgery.
I'm not bragging. It's the literature that has proven manipulation trumps other treatments all day.
We use manipulation combined with rehabilitation to correct faulty biomechanics.
The Colts have a team chiropractor but I would imagine he had no say in the direction of Manning's treatment. He most likely took a back seat to the "big wig" orthopedists the Colts pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to every year. "These docs know what they're talking about." Hmm.I wonder?
Back to Manning's Surgery:
Manning had already had two other failed chances at getting rid of this "pinched nerve." The infamous third surgery is the main issue for writing this. I don't know how bad it really was. Anyone who hasn't evaluated Peyton doesn't know. But this one seemed different.
The third surgery was supposed to be common with 8-12 weeks of recovery and eventually a full recovery. And normal average athletes usually return to work in 10 days. Obviously, average Joes are not elite NFL quarterbacks.
Something was definitely different about this third surgery. Did the surgeon cut a nerve with the scalpel while cutting through to get to the spine? Who really knows?
Why else would Peyton go overseas to get a stem cell procedure to regrow a nerve?
This usually does not happen in the normal rehab process unless you're Peyton Manning the nation's best quarterback in my opinion.
This is what concerns me about the future of Peyton Manning and his come back to football.
The C7 (spinal level) nerve innervates the triceps muscle which is the muscle we're concerned about. Without strength in the triceps muscle it is virtually impossible to throw a football with velocity and distance of a normal Peyton Manning.
ESPN.com recently reported the Colts got excellent news from the team doctors.
"X-ray and CT examination of the involved area shows that the fusion performed in September has achieved firm fixation," Watkins said. With a firm fixation Peyton can start light workouts.
I'm hoping and praying just as you are that the nerve regrows, but in my studies I have never heard of a nerve regenerating in a short amount of time or maybe even at all. This is a controversial subject for many doctors.
Maybe the great lord above will answer all of our prayers and grant Peyton Manning one last shot at another Super Bowl. Will it be with the Colts? Looks like it will be with the Denver Broncos.
Author Resource:
Dr. Steve Smiley has been following the future of Peyton Manning since the original surgery a few years ago. He is a chiropractor and internet marketing specialist whho utilizes finding an exact target market to grow in his businesses.