Common One

will be done at a later date. about 500 thousand people in the united states suffer from a neck injury similar to peyton manning's.as news 18's elisabeth rentschler reports.. one local doctor here in lafayette says..it's one of the most common surgeries he

performs. and his patients.. are not athletes.#@elisabeth: hit after hit during his career...is what sidelined peyton manning during the colts 2011-2012 season. but for those who work around heavy machinery..all it takes is one hit to sideline you..

orthopedic spine surgeon john gorup says.. it's also more likely to happen to you...than a professional athlete.dr. john gorup: "if you think about the energy of being hit by a car or a piece of heavy machinery and some of those surrounding factors here, it's

far worse than being hit by even ray lewis or someone in the pros."elisabeth: claude cornelison says he was injured on the job..after being hit by a piece of machinery. cornelison says he's been living with the pain for five months now..pain he says..that

is constant..claude cornelison: "24/7, and at times different levels, but most of the time on a scale of ten, anywhere from seven to 15."elisabeth: but cornelison is not alone.. in fact.. dr. gorup says he sees about three patients a week who suffer

from neck injuries similar to peyton manning's.dr. gorup says symptoms can include pain, weakness, and tingling in the arm..and while he says surgery isn't the only option...most patients choose to have it.dr. john gorup: "people put up with numbness

and i've seen patients say, 'it's just a little numb tingling, i'll put up with that, but i won't put up with the pain.'"elisabeth: dr. gorup says the pain and numbness is the direct result of a disc hurniation in the neck..which compresses the

spinal nerve against the bone in the back.dr. gorup says the surgery takes about 45 minutes.. and starts with an incision in the front of the neck.once the esophagus and trachea are moved out of the way.. he says they clean out the disk..until it no longer

pushes on the spinal cord. finally..a piece of bone from a cadaver or a bone from your hip, is placed inside..and locked into position using a titanium plate. dr. gorup says the patient can go home several hours after the surgery..and can resume normal

activities in about six weeks. and cornelison says he's looking forward to doing just that. claude cornelison: "i can get back to doing what i'm supposed to be doing." elisabeth: and dr. gorup says...he's looking forward to moving on too.dr. john gorup:

"i like andrew luck, i think he's doing a great job, and i think he's going to be a great quarterback moving forward." elisabeth: dr. gorup says if you've been experiencing any of these symptoms and are not a fan of surgery, cortisone shots three times a year..can

also help reduce the pain.er

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