Neymar’s Odyssey

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, better known as simply Neymar, is one of the greatest soccer – Er, I mean football – players to ever live. He is on a short list of players who have scored over 100 goals for 3 different football clubs. In 2013, Neymar, along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez (affectionately known as MSN), lead Fútbol Club Barcelona to win the triple crown, or continental treble, of the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League tournaments. The world was his oyster, and he was on his way to establishing himself as one of the leaders of modern football.

Neymar is no stranger to being hit on the field. Football is an intense and physical sport, and high speed collisions are bound to happen. However, during the 2014 world cup, he was given a rude awakening in the form of a flying knee directly to his spine.

National Pride

The Brazilian National Football team has won the world cup 5 times, more than any other country in the world. They are the home of the late great King of Football, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known to the rest of the world as Pelé. Coupled with the fact that the 2014 World Cup took place in Brazil, there was an immense amount of pressure for the national team to win the tournament. Brazil is already the international center of the sport, so it only seems fitting that they would hold court for yet another conquest.

The Injury

With only two minutes left in a quarterfinal game against Colombia, Colombian player Juan Zuniga hit Neymar with a running knee directly to his spine. He was removed from the field via stretcher and was then rushed to a hospital.

Before final confirmation of his injury status, the Brazilian fans were caught in a frenzy of fear and anticipation. People were crying and praying for Neymar to recover on time for the semifinal match against Germany.

The Verdict

After Brazil defeated Colombia 2-1, Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari of the Brazilian national team announced that Neymar would not be cleared to play against Germany. The rest of team Brazil would have to face the German National Team in the semifinals without Neymar’s assistance and leadership. What happened next could only be compared to tragedy.

The injury resulted in Neymar fracturing his L3 vertebrae.

Spinal Vertebrae

The human spine is made of individual bones known as vertebrae. They are separated by discs of cartilage known as intervertebral discs. There are 29 vertebrae in the human spine, separated into 4 sections:

• Cervical spine: The uppermost point of the spine. It is comprised of the first 7 vertebrae and extends from the base of the skull to the bottom of the neck.
• Thoracic spine: The largest part of the spine, containing 12 vertebrae. It stretches from the base of the neck to the middle of the spine.
• Lumbar spine: The lowest end of the spine. It contains 5 vertebrae and is located between the end of the rib cage and the beginning of the pelvis.
• Sacrum: A triangle shaped bone that connects the spine to the hips. The sacrum is made up of 5 vertebrae that are fused together during fetal development, which keeps them from moving around

Vertebral Fracture

A vertebral fracture can occur at any point along the spine. Most fractures occur due to intense trauma, usually from high velocity impacts, such as falling, motor vehicle collisions, or in this case, sports injuries.

Symptoms and side effects of a vertebral fracture may include:

• Back and neck pain
• Limb weakness and paralysis
• Loss of bowel and urinary control
• Tingling and numbness in the spine
• Uncontrollable muscle spasms
• Loss of consciousness upon initial impact – This requires immediate emergency treatment.

Popular methods of diagnosis include:

• X-rays
• CT scans
• MRIs

Common treatment for a vertebral fracture consists of:

• • Physical therapy and rehabilitation.
  • Medications to help mitigate additional symptoms, such as bowel and bladder problems, elevated blood pressure, muscle spasms, and pain.
  • Follow-up care with PM&R (physical medicine and rehabilitation) specialists to schedule and implement a long-term rehab therapy plan.
  • Spinal injections, including pain-killer injections, epidural steroid injections, nerve block injections, and discographic injections.
  • Back and neck braces to hold the spine in place as it heals

Doctor’s Orders

On the evening of Friday, July 4^th, 2014, Doctor Jose Luiz Runco appeared in a press conference to members of the public and media representatives attending the World cup. He was visibly emotional as he recounted breaking the bad news to Neymar.

“I didn’t even give the kid the chance to ask me. I broke the news, and it was hard to see him crying profusely when told he was out of the competition. He only calmed down when I reasoned with him that, as a 22-year-old footballer, his professional life still has a lot to offer.”

Doctor Runco detailed how Neymar’s recovery time would only last up to 6 weeks, and his post-surgery recovery treatment would consist of the use of a back brace, rest, and painkillers.

“He should be in action in 40 to 45 days. Nothing prevents him from watching the games if he feels comfortable. In the absence of a better word, this has been a good injury because it won’t leave any further problems for him despite the violence with which he was hit on the back by the opposition.”

Defeat

Germany completely dominated Brazil in the semifinals. By the time the scoreboard reached 4-0, people were weeping in the stands. Brazil’s loss to Germany is considered one of the most iconic defeats in modern football. They lost 7-1, a complete blowout for what is otherwise the greatest national team in the history of the sport, and they lost on their home field. To this day, 7-1 is a symbol of overall loss and tragedy in Brazil. “Cada dia um 7-1 diferente,” every day a different 7-1, has become a common saying when personal and social tragedy strikes in Brazil.

The Gift of Health

While many of his fans and countrymen were heartbroken, Neymar considered the results of his injury to be a miracle. “If it was 2 inches to the left I would never be able to walk again,” he said in a sit-down interview. While his countrymen wept for their national pride, Neymar wept in appreciation for his health. He began to cry as he recounted his injury, claiming that god blessed him by preventing a more serious injury. “I could be in a wheelchair.”

In a post-recovery interview, Neymar stated; “The doctors said: ‘There’s good and bad news. The bad news, your World Cup is over. The good news is you’ll be able to walk again.’ I was in incredible pain. I watched the semi-final at home as I was in a wheelchair. It was a bad week.”

10 years later, Neymar is still playing at a professional level for The Al Hilal football club in Saudi Arabia. Even when battling a terrifying nightmare, miracles can still happen.

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