Tony Stewart suffers back injury in non-racing accident on ATV

[fred555]

Stewart is awake, alert and able to move his extremities, according to a statement from Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning, who said the accident happened Sunday on the West Coast and wouldn't specify where Stewart is hospitalized.

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/st...zed-back-injury-following-non-racing-accident

 

[Jimbo]

I saw this earlier.
It will be interesting to see if this is a severe injury or if he's in the hospital as a precaution.

 

[DWS44]

That's what I get for spending a small fortune on Daytona 500 tickets to see his last start in it.

Get well soon, Smoke!

 

[Mr Tony]

Get well soon!

 

[Ramy]

That sucks to start the year that way in his last season.

 

[fred555]

That's what I get for spending a small fortune on Daytona 500 tickets to see his last start in it.

Get well soon, Smoke!

You can send the tickets to me.

There is supposed to be an announcement about his condition tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Jimbo]

You can send the tickets to me.

There is supposed to be an announcement about his condition tomorrow afternoon.

Hopefully Tony gets good news and won't be missing too much time.

 

[DWS44]

You can send the tickets to me.

Sure...trade ya for a check! Just sign it and I'll fill in the rest for you.

 

[dfergie]

Going to miss first part of season ...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...surgery-broken-back-out-daytona-500/79826290/

 

[DWS44]

 

[fred555]

I meant to post this earlier today, but gotta work to pay the bills:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sustained a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in an all-terrain vehicle accident Sunday while vacationing on the West Coast. Stewart was transported to a local hospital following the non-racing accident and promptly evaluated. He was awake and alert throughout the process and able to move all of his extremities. Stewart flew to North Carolina Tuesday evening and was admitted to a Charlotte-area hospital for further evaluation. On Wednesday, he underwent surgery. The subsequent recovery period means Stewart will miss the beginning of the Sprint Cup season. A timetable for Stewart's return has not been determined, but he is expected to make a full recovery and return to the #14 Chevrolet in 2016. Plans for an interim driver have not been finalized.(Stewart-Haas Racing)(2-4-2016)

That is a pretty bad injury, pretty lucky that he can even move his legs.

 

[Jimbo]

Yup, much worse than we knew, but then they didn't say a whole lot till now.

 

[fred555]

http://motorsports-soapbox.blogspot.com/2016/02/experts-say-stewart-was-lucky.html

Make no mistake about it, the injury was a crushing blow for Stewart and his race team. But looking at the big picture, Tony Stewart is a very lucky man.

Medical experts familiar with burst fractures – though not Stewart’s particular case – say his injury was extremely severe. The result of high-energy vertical loads, burst fractures compress the vertebra and cause it – quite literally – to explode. Fragments of bone can then penetrate the surrounding soft tissues and spinal canal, often causing permanent damage to the spinal cord and irreversible paralysis.

 

[Jimbo]

http://motorsports-soapbox.blogspot.com/2016/02/experts-say-stewart-was-lucky.html

Make no mistake about it, the injury was a crushing blow for Stewart and his race team. But looking at the big picture, Tony Stewart is a very lucky man.

Medical experts familiar with burst fractures – though not Stewart’s particular case – say his injury was extremely severe. The result of high-energy vertical loads, burst fractures compress the vertebra and cause it – quite literally – to explode. Fragments of bone can then penetrate the surrounding soft tissues and spinal canal, often causing permanent damage to the spinal cord and irreversible paralysis.

Yup, its safer for Tony to run Nascar cars than the Sprint ones he's looking at going back to next year (in a limited role)

 

[Mr Tony]

Going to miss first part of season ...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...surgery-broken-back-out-daytona-500/79826290/

bummer. that sucks

 

[fred555]

Prediction: Hes not coming back at all. Can he really risk racing with plates fusing his vertebrae?
Is it even allowed?

 

[Jimbo]

Prediction: Hes not coming back at all. Can he really risk racing with plates fusing his vertebrae?
Is it even allowed?

He'll be back as soon as he's medically cleared.

 

[fred555]

SIX MONTHS AFTER FUSION SURGERY
The office visit at this time will again focus on your rehabilitative agenda. X-rays will also be obtained to further assess the fusion process. It is expected, that most fusions will be approaching maturity at this point. As such, most all restrictions will be lifted at this time. Understand however, the fusion is not as strong as it will ever be until closer to one year after surgery. It is therefore one year before it is expected that your recovery is totally complete.

I question, with metal plates bridging the missing vertebrae, will he ever be able to race again.
All it would take is one moderate crash to turn him into a paraplegic.

Will he be cleared to race this season? With a fusion, will he ever be cleared at all?
Clearly lots of questions.

 

[fred555]

I myself have had spinal surgery and know how difficult recovery can be. My condition was no where near the seriousness of Tony's. I wish him all the luck for a speedy recovery, but don't get your hopes up that he will race this year or maybe ever again. But we all know Tony so don't count him out completely.

http://www.examiner.com/article/will-tony-stewart-ever-race-again

We can’t factor in any degree of post-operative paralysis that Stewart may have. If he does, and there is a likelihood of that, there would be a referral to a physiatrist who would work on any neurological issues and delay complete recovery. If there is no paralysis, the best case scenario, it looks as though there will be at least a period of recovery that could reach 12 months. That would mean that Stewart, who has already announced his retirement from NASCAR at the end of the 2016 season, will not be behind the wheel of any racecar for at least a year. His retirement tour may never happen, unless the decision is made to delay his final season until next year.

Tony Stewart will have access to the best medical care in the world and we may see him at a NASCAR track in 2016. However, all the medical evidence and past patient histories show that it is unlikely we will see him behind the wheel of a racecar for at least a year, or sadly, ever again.

 

[Jimbo]

It will be interesting to hear from Tony's Doctors.