Neurapraxia
Neurapraxia is a disorder of the peripheral nervous system in which there is a temporary loss of motor and sensory function due to blockage of nerve conduction, usually lasting an average of six to eight weeks before full recovery.
[1] It has been observed that subjective sensory symptoms include numbness, tingling, and burning sensations at the site of the injury.
[3] Peripheral nerves are myelinated, relatively large, spatially complex cells whose size and connectivity typically make them more susceptible to damage and compromise their capacity to self-repair, although this is not the case in neurapraxia.
[2] In the cellular dimension, a fragmentation of neurotubules and neurofilaments occurs as a result of pressure exerted on the nerve.
The thinning of myelin sheaths or focal demyelination are the main consequences of the injury that lead to conduction blockage.
The underlying causes of transient nerve injury typically include a brief ischemic episode or any form of compression.
Once the cause of neurapraxia is eliminated, recovery of the lesions in the nerve occurs within a short time span.
During the recovery period of neurapraxia, it is essential that the joints constantly undergo passive movement in order to preserve proper mobility.
Athletes that suffer from severe episodes of neurapraxia are urged to consult orthopaedic or spinal medical specialists.
Cervical cord neurapraxia is the result of a severe collision in which a blow to the crown of the athlete's head forcefully extends or compresses the neck.
[8] Cervical cord neurapraxia among American football players is commonly observed in athletes playing positions involving high-speed collisions and open-field tackling.
[9] As a result of Dr. Torg's findings the NFL as well as other levels of American football have outlawed the act of spearing, or the lowering of the head and hitting an opponent with the crown of the helmet.
[10] The cervical spine cannot properly absorb the force of a collision when the head is even slightly lowered as is the case in spearing.
In addition to outlawing acts such as spearing, prevention of neurapraxia on the football field relies on instruction and reinforcement of proper tackling technique by coaches and trainers.
In M*A*S*H Season 4 Episode one, Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce claims that Walter "Radar" O'Reilly has neurapraxia as an excuse for driving past a military checkpoint.
