On October 16th, 2010, a riveting game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Army Black Knights at the new Meadowlands Stadium quieted to a whisper when Rutgers defensive tackle Eric Legrand lay motionless on the field. After a violent collision during a Rutgers kick off, Eric Legrand suffered a spinal cord injury to his cervical spine.
[WARNING the content below may be inappropriate for young viewers]
(Above video is courtesy of ESPN.COM )
This injury was said to have occurred at the C3-4 segments (in the cervical spine), which is the reason for concern. The anatomy of the spinal cord is filled with inherent redundancies; however, any injuries to the “early” segments of the spine have global repercussions throughout the body. This is caused by the fact that information flows from the brain to the rest of the body in a top to bottom fashion.
Imaging your spine as the New Jersey Turnpike. Information (let’s think of this as cars) flows from north to south. If something were to happen to the Turnpike at exit 15W (one of the first exits on the highway coming south), no car would be able to get to the southern exit. This is a vague illustration of how the brain and the spinal cord work. Unfortunately, an injury to the upper spine could result in permanent paralysis from the neck down. This is not to say that permanent paralysis is the single result. Many individuals that suffer from traumatic injuries to the neck make incredible, almost miraculous recoveries. The variability of recovery comes from the nature of the injury itself, how early the receive intervention, and the rehab team that is treating the patient.
Hopefully, Eric will make a miraculous recovery. He has a long, hard road to recovery ahead of him, but I am confident that his Rutgers spirit will help him. As Coach Schiano would say, “ KEEP CHOPPIN, ERIC!”
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