Zach Line to miss spring workouts

[PonyPride]

SMU running back Zach Line, a first-team All-Conference USA honoree who led C-USA in rushing in 2010, said he will miss all of the Mustangs' spring workouts with a broken lumbar bone in his lower back.

Citing privacy laws, head coach June Jones declined to comment on Line's injury or to speculate on his return, but after practice, Line cleared the air. He said he was injured early in the Ponies' Nov. 7 game at UTEP when he twisted and took a shot in his lower back.

Line played through the injury for the rest of the season, chalking up his discomfort to "normal soreness." But when the pain lingered well into the offseason, he finally had a bone scan a couple of weeks ago, which revealed the fracture. Line said the crack is in one of the "wings" on the side of the vertebra, and said that while the piece is not broken completely off, any movement in the muscle surrounding it creates a twisting effect, which can be exceptionally painful.

Line said that after the fracture was revealed, a cortisone shot was considered, but it was determined that simply resting — he has not even worked out in two weeks, and is prohibited from lifting weights, although he said he plans to ask permission to at least ride a stationary bike — would be the preferable remedy.

"I'm happy to find out what was wrong," Line said. "I knew it was sore (after getting hurt), and I was getting treatment, but I thought that was just part of the general soreness that is part of playing football."

Line said he hopes to resume working out, if not practicing, sometime this spring. In the meantime, he said he expects to follow Jones's routine for experienced players, assuming something of a teaching roll for younger players.

The injury, he said, has affected other parts of his routine. He said he sometimes can have difficulty sleeping, and he said that the 20-hour drive that he and his sister made to their home in Oxford, Mich., left him sore "for about three days."

[RE Tycoon]

Maybe this is the reason Fields is still at RB. I hope he gets a chance regardless of how this injury impacts Line and his status going forward.

[NickSMU17]

One tough dude....Is this fixable, or will he have to just tolerate the pain?

Either way not great for the team, but that's why you recruit as many studs as you can...

[RGV Pony]

One tough dude....Is this fixable, or will he have to just tolerate the pain?

.

sounds like a transverse process fracture, which isnt altogether uncommon for football players..

from orthopedist Paul Grutter's website
Tranverse Process Fracture Follow-up Care

Symptomatic. No bracing or activity restrictions are required for isolated TP fractures.
Consider protection of the area to avoid repeated trauma in athletes. Consider a flak jacket or simple padding in a football players.
Return to sport: when patient has normal painfree thoracic motion

and an abstract:

Lumbar Transverse Process Fractures in Professional Football Players

Douglas P. Tewes MD
David A. Fischer , MD
Donald C. Quick , PhD
Fred Zamberletti , PT
John Powell , PhD
Minneapolis Sports Medicine Center

Minnesota Vikings Football Club,
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Med Sports Systems, Ltd.,
Iowa City, Iowa

In the general population, fractures of the transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae occur in cases of high-energy blunt trauma, often in motor vehicle accidents. Football players may incur the same fractures, but the circumstances and outcomes are different in this specific subgroup. A review of 29 cases among National Football League players reveals that associated visceral injuries are rare, and the time lost from sports is only an average of 3.5 weeks.

[RGV Pony]

the fact that he says he fractured a "wing" I guess also suggests it could be a sacrum fracture, but I'm going on the assumption they would have called it a "sacrum fracture" or even "pelvis fracture" instead of a 'vertebra fracture' if that was the case

[NickSMU17]

So...you think he will be ready to go pretty much pain free??

[RGV Pony]

I would hope so...would depend on how much the tissue around it was traumatized the rest of the year & how much scar tissue formed etc..Dr Baker or ponyte would be the experts..

Edgerrin James had a tvp fx...here's an article

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1637474

"The transverse process is a small lateral projection off the right and left sides of each vertebra, and functions as an attachment site for muscles and ligaments of the spine. James has one broken bone along with a hairline fracture of another.

"All you can do is let it rest," said James, who has missed three games."

[ponyboy]

Rest can actually be a beneficial side effect of this. These guys overtrain, IMO, and you usually see them bounce back from a few weeks rest with renewed vigor.

[ponyte]

I wish him a speedy recovery and a great 2011 season.

Sitting out spring ball can be a real mental tester. Other kids are competing for one's position and one can do nothing but watch...and worry. I hope he doesn't lose sleep worrying about his position status.

[skyscraper]

Get well soon.
When you go back and now know how many key contributors were playing banged up/injured at the end of last season, it's kind of stunning.

[SMUguy]

Maybe this is the reason Fields is still at RB. I hope he gets a chance regardless of how this injury impacts Line and his status going forward.

According to the video interview with JJ, it sounds like Fields and Pope are both going to get a crack at LB. My bet would be that one moves to LB for the season, and one stays at RB.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

RGV could Zach be helped by something like
either of these with some slight customizing?

[RGV Pony]

I think he's in good shape resting and letting stuff heal...once it doesnt hurt to rotate then he has to get active moving etc..I could see him wearing something like this in the fall..or, as tough as he is, no extra padding at all...that said, I rarely if ever stay at Holiday Inn properties..no extra smarts for Hilton or Marriott, so take what I say with a grain of salt

[One Trick Pony]

You know we all love this game but the damage one (cant spell this word) is a constant reminder later in life.

[Hal]

You mean INCURS (I think)?

Anyway, we all want Zach to take care of his body, of course, so he can live a healthy life after football, but I wonder if we're getting too hyped up about this. Yes, it's an injury, but surely Zach is smart enough to listen to his body, and he is so valuable to the team that the coaches and medical staff won't let him even suit up until everyone is absolutely sure he can take the abuse that goes along with playing running back.

Thanks for the report, Pride.