Traumatic spinal cord injuries in professonal wrestling

     Traumatic spinal cord injury is a devastating condition that has the potential to result in partial or permanent disability.  In the United States the incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury is approximately 40 per million persons per year.

     The main causes of spinal cord injury are: (1)

• Motor vehicle accidents: 47 percent.
• Falls: 23 percent.
• Violence (i.e. gunshot wounds): 14 percent. 
• Sports: 9 percent. 
• Other: 9 percent.

     Most spinal cord injuries are the result of an injury to the vertebral column.  This can occur by a number of mechanisms including: (2)

• Fracture of a vertebral bone. 
• Dislocation of a joint.
• Ligament tear.
• Herniation of a disc.

       With a complete cord injury the individual may experience loss of sensation and complete paralysis below the level of injury.  Such an injury occurred to wrestler Darren Drozdov (Droz).  On October 5. 1999 while wrestling Accie Conner (D'Lo Brown) he suffered a cervical spinal cord injury at the C4-C5 level.  He was eventually able to regain partial use of his upper extremities.

     Transient paralysis can occur after a spinal cord injury and result in temporary paralysis, loss of sensation and reflexes below the level of injury.  Individuals will often times make a complete recovery.  Such an injury occurred to referee Tommy Young on November 28, 1989.






     Another example of a transient spinal cord injury occurred to wrestler Steve Williams (Steve Austin) on August 3, 1997.




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Mitsuharu Misawa

     A sudden traumatic spinal cord injury can be immediately life threatening.  This is especially true the higher the lesion is in the cervical spine.  An injury at the C1-C2 level is associated with a 6.6 fold increased risk of death, C3-C4 injury a 2.5 fold increased risk, and a C6 to C8 a 1.5 fold increased risk. (3)  Japanese professional wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa died June 13, 2009 in the ring after getting injured from a suplex.  While the official cause of death was not released by the family, it is presumed he sustained a high cervical spine injury causing cardiopulmonary arrest.

     Another well publicized spinal cord injury occurred on December 11, 1990 in Tampa, Florida during a WWE Suprestars TV taping.  Enhancement wrestler Chad Austin teamed with Lanny Poffo (The Genius) against The Rockers, Frederick Jannetty (Marty Jannetty) and Michael Hickenbottom (Shawn Michaels).  Jannetty performed a "Rocker Dropper" on Austin.  Austin landed incorrectly and suffered a spinal cord injury.  Austin subsequently sued the WWE and on April 29, 1994 the case was settled and he was awarded a reported 26.7 million.




References:

1. www.spinalcord.uab.edu
2. Spine (Phil Pa 1976) 2001; 26: S2.  
3. Arch Intern Med 1989; 149(8): 1761.

The medical resource www.uptodate.com was used in the preparation of this blog.

Photographs and videos are for illustrative purposes only.  Wrestling with Death does not claim ownership.

Randy Savage (November 15, 1952-May 20, 2011).

Randy Savage

      Randy Poffo, know worldwide as "Macho Man" Randy Savage died in a single motor vehicle accident in Seminole, Florida on the morning of May 20, 2011.  The preliminary autopsy report did not reveal a cause of death according to Bill Pellan of the Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner's office.   No extensive trauma was present. (1)   Toxicology and histology results are still pending.  In an interview with Bright House Sports network conducted on June 7, 2011 Lanny Poffo, brother of Savage, reported that the cause of death was ventricular fibrillation. (2)

     The medical event that occurred with Savage is referred to as sudden cardiac death.  This happens  when there is a sudden cessation of heart function and collapse of the circulatory system.  The final event is an unstable heart rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation.  During ventricular fibrillation there are rapid, uncoordinated, ineffective, contractions of the lower heart chambers.  This rhythm is universally fatal unless the individual is fortunate enough to be quickly resuscitated.  When sudden cardiac death happens outside of a hospital, the likelihood of surviving is very low.  Only about 10% of individuals survive, many of whom will never make a complete recovery.

     There are many different causes of  ventricular fibrillation that can result in sudden cardiac death as listed in Table 1.

 
Table 1

• Coronary artery disease: 65-70%.
• Structural heart disease (i.e. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy): 10%.
• No heart disease (i.e. drugs, trauma, bleeding): 15-35%.

     There has been speculation that Savage's death could be linked to anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use.  The final autopsy report should provide information on this, as several autopsy findings due to AAS use have previously been described.  For more information on this refer to the May 7, 2011 blog on this site titled Anabolic androgenic steroids and heart disease.

Randy Savage

References

1. http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2011/may/24/MENEWSO6-macho-man-autopsy-results-dont-reveal-cau-ar-227846/
2. http://www.baynews9.com/article/sports/2011/june/258715/%22Macho-Man%22-Randy-Savages-death-attributed-to-heart-condition

The medical refernce www.uptodate.com was used in the preparation of this blog.

Photographs are for illustrative purposes only.  Wrestling with Death does not claim ownership.