http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp...-broncos-suffers-neck-injury-leaves-ambulance SEATTLE -- Denver defensive end Derek Wolfe was placed on a backboard and taken away in an ambulance after injuring his neck in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Wolfe was hurt with nine minutes left in the quarter and on Seattle's first offensive drive. He was hurt being blocked on a running play in which Seattle's Robert Turbin gained 8 yards. The Broncos said Wolfe was being evaluated for a cervical spine injury and had movement in all of his extremities. Denver coach John Fox said after the Broncos' 40-10 loss to Seattle that a CT scan revealed no broken bones and the team was awaiting results of an MRI. Wolfe was expected to travel back to Denver on the charter flight, the team said. Wolfe was initially cut on the play by Seattle's Luke Willson. As Wolfe was getting back up, fullback Michael Robinson collided with Wolfe and appeared to compress his head and neck. Wolfe remained on the ground and appeared to be moving his legs initially, but medical personnel strapped him to a backboard and took him away in an ambulance. He was down for about eight minutes before being taken away. "It's a scary situation," said Denver receiver Wes Welker, who is expected to have an injured ankle examined Sunday. "You're just praying for him and hoping that everything is OK and you definitely get concerned when you see the ambulance come out and things like that. Just hoping for the best." Denver also saw starting cornerback Champ Bailey injure his left foot in the first half. Bailey limped to the locker room at halftime. He is expected to miss some practice time and will get an MRI Sunday. Broncos right guard Louis Vasquez also left the game with a left knee injury. If the injury is significant, it could be a major blow for an offensive line that lost center Dan Koppen to a torn ACL earlier in training camp. Fox had no update on Vasquez after the game. Information from ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold and The Associated Press was used in this report.
A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence. Spinal cord injuries are described at various levels of "incomplete", which can vary from having no effect on the patient to a "complete" injury which means a total loss of function. Treatment of spinal cord injuries starts with restraining the spine and controlling inflammation to prevent further damage. The actual treatment can vary widely depending on the location and extent of the injury. In many cases, spinal cord injuries require substantial physical therapy and rehabilitation, especially if the patient's injury interferes with activities of daily life. Spinal cord injuries have many causes, but are typically associated with major trauma from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, and violence. Research into treatments for spinal cord injuries includes controlled hypothermia and stem cells, though many treatments have not been studied thoroughly and very little new research has been implemented in standard care.
