football spine fracture

[A-RAM]

I experienced a spine compression fracture in november while playing HS football... it took me about 3 months to fully recover but i was wondering if any one knows if its safe for me to go back and play football again or what kind of doctor i should contact for this information???

[KarateKid]

Hi, I had a T5 compression fracture, and I've done various sports and started injurying all types of things all over my body!!!

What I'd do if I were you, is assess your posture, then perhaps join a pilates lesson and go twice a week for a while, just to make sure, otherwise what may happen is your whole body develops muscles imbalances, which will cause you knee injuries, shoulder injuries etc. You'll also find that by strengthening your core muscles and have good posture will make you so much quicker and stronger in any sport. I've been doing pilates for 10 weeks now and the results have been amazing, I feel more stable.

[Ruth]

Hi A-RAM,

I am assuming that with such an injury you saw a doctor or specialist at some point? If so I would follow their advice regarding return to sport, and if you are not sure either try to get back into contact with them or possibly consider seeing a sports doctor for specific advice and rehabilitation if required.

As karateKid says, if you've been out of action for some time it is likely you'll have slightly weaker muscles in some areas, and some may still be protecting the injury which can cause tight muscles and imbalances.

If you are in any way concerned, please seek medical advice before returning to your sport.

[robbyp123]

Your doctor/specialist should have given you some information regarding this when they were treating you. I suffered a minor back injury a couple of years ago which put me out of sport for quite a while, but my doctor was very helpful and gave me a detailed physio plan to follow. This ensured that I return to fitness gradually, instead of trying "too much too soon", and it worked great.