Wellington K. Hsu, a spine surgeon and assistant professor at Northwestern University, says the fused area should not be vulnerable. "In fact, his neck is probably stronger now than it was before the surgery because he has a solid, bony fusion," Hsu said.
Rick Sasso, an Indianapolis spine surgeon who, like Hsu, was not involved in Manning's treatment, agrees. "As long as the fusion was solid, that segment is very protected," he said.
Sasso says the surgery Manning had, known medically as a "single level anterior fusion," is common. He estimates he has performed about 1,500 of them.
"It's one of the most routine operations we do now as spine surgeons. We do it as an out-patient. Most out-patients go home about four hours after the operation is done,' Sasso said.
They don't typically go on to play in the NFL, but it does happen.
Both say that doesn't preclude Manning having a disk problem in another level of his spine. "That has been known to occur. That is called adjacent segment degeneration," Hsu said.
Said Sasso: "A lot of it is genetic. … We're born with the genes that have a higher propensity for these disks to wear out."
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