EXPLAINING SIDNEY CROSBY’S INJURY
This is the best explanation of Sidney Crosby’s injury that I have seen so far.
The neck, or cervical spine, is made up of the first seven vertebrae beneath the head, all of which are intricately connected by ligaments and supported by muscles, constituting multiple joints. A soft-tissue injury of the neck can yield the same result as a cavalcade of ankle sprains in one concentrated area … only worse. The potential for more problematic symptoms following a neck injury has to do, in part, with the more significant role the mechanoreceptors play in this area. Like their counterparts in the ankle, they contribute to joint stability, but they also play a key role in maintaining posture along with control of head and eye movements. Information from receptors in the neck, especially the upper neck, converges with information from the eyes (visual) and inner ears (vestibular — balance and equilibrium) so that the body consistently adjusts to being in the right position at the right time, whether moving or standing still.
But what if one of these systems is not functioning properly? Dr. Rob Landel, director of physical therapy and residency programs at the University of Southern California, says this exact scenario creates a “sensory mismatch,” which can be extremely debilitating, especially for an athlete. Landel, who has extensive experience in the area of cervicogenic dizziness (or dizziness originating from dysfunction in the neck), says muscular damage in the neck can result in misinformation being sent to the brain about where the head is positioned.
“If you turn your head 10 degrees and your eyes say it’s 10 degrees, your ears say it’s 10 degrees, but your neck says it’s 5 or 15 degrees, then there is a mismatch of information going to the brain,” Landel says. “You literally don’t know where your head is in space.”
He says the symptoms that result are often similar to motion sickness or seasickness, more so than true dizziness. In fact, Landel says when he hears someone describe vague symptoms of feeling “off,” “foggy,” or like their “head is floating,” he immediately suspects the neck as a possible culprit.
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Date: February 9, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized