with the Diamondbacks or a minor league rehab g

Not all spine fractures are created equal. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo knows this firsthand.The Cowboys announced on Saturday that Romo?suffered a broken bone in his back during Thursdays preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, on a hit that initially generated?nothing more than a scare.?Sources told?ESPN?reporter?Todd Archer that Romo sustained a compression fracture to the L1 vertebra and could?miss six to 10 weeks. The Cowboys have not issued a timetable and coach Jason Garrett has not yet ruled out Romo for the season opener. We live in the world day by day, he said.During the play on which he was injured, Romo was in the process of initiating a slide. At virtually the same moment Romo began his motion toward the ground, Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril arrived to tackle him, wrapping his left arm across Romos shoulder while applying a downward force with his right arm in an attempt to strip the ball from Romos right hand. Romo landed?in a seated position with his back rounded and feet outstretched.The two primary forces in play through his back were compression -- the combination of the downward-directed forces through the spine from both Avril and gravity, in addition to the upward force through his spine from the ground as he landed -- and flexion, or forward bending, as Avrils momentum coming from behind brought Romos torso forward on impact. The spine can tolerate a fair amount of each, but its problematic when the two are combined.The central portion of a spinal vertebra is called the body, and it is architecturally constructed to absorb load, especially in the lower back area. When viewed under a microscope, the bony infrastructure of the vertebral body reveals scaffold-like elements, similar to rebar frames used in construction. The anatomical design reinforces the ability of the vertebra to bear weight, along with any additional load incurred deliberately (when carrying or lifting) or accidentally (while falling).If the physics of a load or collision, however, exceed what the structure is designed to accommodate, the structure will fail. That excess loading happened to Romos spine, resulting in a compression fracture of L1, the first lumbar vertebra. There are five lumbar or low back vertebrae; the L1 is the topmost.How common is this injury? According to Dr. Robert Watkins Jr., orthopedic spine surgeon and co-director of the Marina Spine Center in Marina del Rey, California, it is relatively infrequent among professional athletes.Compression fractures are common in the elderly with weak bones but are pretty rare in young athletes, said Watkins, who treats numerous athletes of all levels.So whats next for Romo? The primary focus for the early phase of recovery is minimizing discomfort.Fractures are painful, and any movement can further aggravate that pain. While broken bones in the extremities can be casted to prevent movement while they heal, its not possible to externally immobilize a specific vertebral segment. Sometimes a back brace or corset is issued, as is the case with Romo, to help control spinal motion that might provoke pain. It cannot entirely restrict movement.Ultimately, pain is the guide when it comes to an athlete progressing his activity; as the pain decreases, the athlete is encouraged to do more in the way of natural movement and physical exertion. Flexion and compression -- the loading forces that contributed to the original injury -- are minimized in the early stages to avoid aggravating the condition. As the athletes pain resolves and his conditioning improves, he can gradually return.?The final phase is being cleared for contact, which depends on the healing progression and minimal risk of further injury.Romos latest injury is unlike the back injury the quarterback?sustained in 2014, when he fractured two transverse processes. Transverse processes are small projections on the vertebrae where soft tissue attaches, but they have no real role in load-bearing. In football, fractures to transverse processes are not uncommon when there is a direct hit, and the result is?bruising and pain at the fracture site. Players can typically return to play as the pain allows, even as the bone continues to heal, because of the low risk involved. Romo returned to play two weeks after sustaining the?injury.With a compression fracture, the recovery time and determination of return to play is dependent on the nuances of the injury. If the fracture is small and the spinal segment is stable, the recovery can be much quicker than if there is significant bone deformity and associated instability. Stable compression fractures are typically managed non-surgically, as will be the case with Romo.Once the pain has resolved and satisfactory healing has occurred, the athlete can be cleared to return.?This could range from a few weeks to a few months. As Garrett noted, the Cowboys?have gotten a lot of different timetables for when [Romo] can return.Despite the relatively low occurrence of compression fractures in athletes, Watkins said there is good news about the recovery.After the bone has healed, most people have no residual pain and they return to full function, he said.The usual caveats of lacking specific details about the injury -- such as whether there is any ligament damage or other associated soft tissue injury -- and the fact that everyone heals at different rates still apply in Romos case, making it difficult to accurately project a timetable.Beyond the pain resolution and the bone healing, there is also the matter of him being football-ready in his conditioning before he takes the field again. There is also his injury history. While it is true that this latest injury was an isolated incident, Romos history of prior disk surgery, two transverse process fractures and a procedure to remove a cyst from his spine cant be ignored.The cumulative trauma of successive injuries regionally (after all, the spine is a single structure in that all vertebral segments are interconnected) can have subtle but real biomechanical consequences that potentially impact Romos overall mobility and strength. Only time will tell if that history poses any challenges to his immediate recovery or to his ability to be functionally effective going forward.This latest injury should not necessarily signal the end of Romos career. Based on the available information, there is no reason to think he wont recover from this particular injury. Ultimately, the question for Romo is the same as for any other NFL player returning from consecutive injuries: How much does he want to continue to expose himself to injury risk, simply by stepping on the football field each week?Although Romos back injury is different this time, the mantra when it comes to Romo is familiar. Wait -- however long it takes --?and see. Black Vans Sk8 Hi Sale . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Slip On Vans Discount . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. http://www.cheapoldskoolwholesale.com/wholesale-sk8-vans.html . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Slip On Vans Clearance . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Vans Old Skool Outlet . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. MILWAUKEE -- For a team that leads the major leagues in stolen bases, the Milwaukee Brewers looked pretty powerful at the plate Monday night.I think we were kind of due for a night like that, manager Craig Counsell said.Martin Maldonado hit a three-run homer and Milwaukee went deep four times, spoiling the major league debut of Arizona pitching prospect Braden Shipley in a 7-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.Maldys home run was the play of the game, for sure. Thats the spot where we got some breathing room, Counsell said. It was a back-breaker for them.Maldonados drive chased Shipley. The backup catcher said he saw multiple curveballs in his first two at-bats and was sitting on a first-pitch curve in the sixth, which he hammered over the left-field fence.Hittings about timing, Maldonado said.Scooter Gennett, Jonathan Villar and pinch-hitter Andy Wilkins also connected for the Brewers in the opener of a four-game series. Chase Anderson went five innings to beat his former team for his first win since June 8.Acquired from the Diamondbacks in the offseason, Anderson (5-10) hadnt made it through five innings in any of his previous five starts. This time, he gave up two runs and seven hits.I had more conviction behind the pitches. I think my focus was where it needed to be, Anderson said.Gennett hit a 437-foot homer to straightaway center field off Shipley (0-1) with one out in the first to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. The right-hander was selected 15th overall by Arizona in the 2013 amateur draft.Shipley helped his cause when he led off the third with a stand-up double, narrowly missing a home run. He later scored on a single by Jean Segura.Villar put the Brewers back in front with a home run leading off the third. The Diamondbacks pulled even in the fourth on a run-scoring double by Yasmany Tomas.In the fifth, Ryan Braun extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a run-scoring single, putting Milwaukee ahead 3-2.Wilkins followed Maldonados three-run shot in the sixth with his first career home run -- he had been 0 for 9 since getting called up ffrom Triple-A Colorado Springs this month.ddddddddddddMAKE ROOMThe Diamondbacks selected the contract of Shipley, rated their top prospect, from Triple-A Reno. RHP Silvino Bracho was optioned to Reno.MOMENT TO REMEMBERWilkins wife and young son were in the stands to share in the celebration of his first round-tripper. As soon as I hit it, I looked up and saw (my wife), so it was awesome, said Wilkins, who has been used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter. This is an incredible moment and something that my wife and son, we will enjoy it forever.RETURN TO MILWAUKEEJean Segura and Rickie Weeks, once key players for the Brewers, returned to Miller Park as teammates on the Diamondbacks. We knew, when we traded for Jean, the talent that he had, Arizona manager Chip Hale said. Hes just been a godsend for us. Rickie is a veteran with a dangerous bat. Hes been a stabilizer in the clubhouse.TRAINERS ROOMDiamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke, on the disabled list since June 29 with a left oblique strain, is likely to pitch a simulated game with the Diamondbacks or a minor league rehab game on Friday, Hale said.Brewers: INF Will Middlebrooks (lower right leg strain) was placed on the 15-day DL. I think were too early to know exactly how long hell be out. Its a pretty significant strain, Counsell said. OF Keon Broxton was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs. ... OF Domingo Santana (right elbow) has been shut down from a rehabilitation assignment at Class A Wisconsin. Its a big setback. I dont have a timetable, Counsell said. Well have to get another doctors opinion and see if that sheds any light on anything.UP NEXTDiamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin (4-9, 5.23 ERA) is 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA in his career against Milwaukee.Brewers: Matt Garza (1-4, 5.94) has lost his last four starts while posting an 8.41 ERA. Milwaukee is 1-6 in his outings. Garza is 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against the Diamondbacks. ' ' '