***OFFICIAL 2024 KU Football Thread***

[Pants]

Thanks for posting the video. That sounds scary as hell for the kid and backs are just so awful when things go wrong.

Also, he's starting to look a little like Jamarcus Russell. I hope losing all that weight won't be an issue for him. Dang.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Starts talking about his injury at 18:42 if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

I know there is no reason to go back through the 2023 KU Thread, but I posted exactly what he said about his injury. A very prominent KU player told me first hand what happened right after the team returned from the Texas game.

And despite what Jalen says in this video, there is no certainty that this won't continue to impact him. Everyone is hopeful that they'll have it resolved in the coming months, but it's an odd injury that nobody is really 100% certain will be fixed.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Lzen

Starts talking about his injury at 18:42 if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

Man. This sounds exactly like the back issues I've had in my life. My back first "went out" (no other way to describe it. Incredible pain through my back, leg, couldn't get up, etc) while I was wrestling as a freshman in high school. It then went out about once a year all the way through college. It would take about a week of rest (and no bends) before it would feel "normal" again. I quit playing sports in high school because doctors couldn't originally figure out what was going on, and at 18 I got diagnosed with spinabifida occulta.

The short of it is my lowest vertebrae back didn't fully form when I was born. When I asked my doctor to explain it to me like "I was 5", he explained that "one too many jenga pieces" got pulled out from my back and that it'd likely cause me problems with instability throughout my life.

Since that time I've developed spinal stenosis, arthritis in two joints, etc. The biggest risk isn't actually contact for me, it's bending/rapid movements. This is why spinal stenosis ended David Wright's career. Swinging a bat always ran the risk of taking his entire back out. Being a teacher has actually been huge for my physical health, as serving/tending bar would cause my back to seize from the bending that job required.

The good news? With physical therapy, and strength building exercises my back hasn't seized in over 5 years. Pain is manageable. I am more active than I've been since high school.

The bad news? Daniels plays competitive football. Glass half full I look at Gronk as a model here. He had some interesting surgeries done to treat spinal stenosis that extended his NFL career. There's hope, but back injuries are just unpredictable. He could literally bend down wrong to grab a loaf of bread from Dillions before Week 1 and be out for the entire season.