The painful moment when a professional trampolinist sustains a back injury halfway through the somersault
A Dutch professional trampolinist narrowly escaped paralysis after suffering a broken back in a horrific training accident.
Footage shared on TikTok and Instagram by @flips.by_Siard shows the painful moment his back ‘folded’ when he jumped on the trampoline earlier than expected.
But the athlete, who has thousands of followers on social media, miraculously did not permanently damage his spinal cord.
Instead, he escaped with a spinal fracture – which often heals naturally – and to the shock of fans, has already returned to training.
In a separate one Instagram video of an American neurosurgeon, known only as Dr. Z, the doctor warned that such injuries could result in ruptured blood vessels or even total paralysis.
Footage shared on TikTok and Instagram by @flips.by_Siard shows the painful moment his back ‘folded’ when he jumped on the trampoline earlier than expected
In a separate Instagram video from an American neurosurgeon, known only as Dr. Z, the doctor warned that such injuries could result in ruptured blood vessels or even total paralysis.
He told his more than 200,000 Instagram followers: ‘He’s getting bigger and bigger. These are professionals who have been doing this for several years.
‘But there is always a risk of injuries like this.
‘What happened in this situation is called a hyperextension injury.
“It looks like it almost folded itself in half. This is the type of injury that could potentially result in a spinal cord injury.”
Research shows that approximately two-thirds of people with a spinal cord injury experience some form of paralysis.
But Dr Z added: ‘It turns out he broke his back and didn’t damage his spinal cord.
“He broke his vertebrae without damaging his spinal cord.”
A vertebral fracture is a break in one of the bones in your spine.
In the majority of people, spinal fractures heal without complications and require no specific intervention, according to the NHS.
But “not just anyone can walk away from an injury like this,” Dr. Z warned.
‘If a fracture is bad enough it can result in something called an epidural hematoma, where the blood compresses the spinal cord.
“Surgery might be needed to decompress that cord.
‘It can also destabilize the spine, resulting in the need for a spinal fusion where we permanently place metal screws and rods in your back.’
The condition, spinal epidural hematoma, is caused when a blood vessel ruptures, causing blood to leak into the epidural space (an opening between the spinal cord and spine) and clot.
This then puts pressure on the spine, leading to problems transmitting signals to the rest of the body.
Patients initially experience sudden neck or back pain, which then progresses to near or total paralysis of the legs or arms, depending on where the clot is located.
In the majority of people, spinal fractures heal without complications and require no specific intervention, according to the NHS. But “not just anyone can walk away from an injury like this,” Dr. Z warned
Doctors treat spinal epidural hematoma using surgery to remove the clot and restore normal functioning of the spine.
However, if they don’t act quickly, patients can suffer a stroke, which cuts off the blood supply to the spinal cord, causing the cells to begin to die.
This causes permanent damage.
There is no known cause for the condition, although it can be caused by trauma, an underlying condition, or even lifting too heavy weights at the gym.
But doctors have long emphasized that it is extremely rare: fewer than one in a million people are said to suffer from it each year.
Fractions, meanwhile are most common in the spine because the composition of the bones here, with a thin outer layer and a spongy interior, makes them more vulnerable to bone loss.
According to the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), around 600 Britons suffer acute traumatic spinal cord injuries every year.
About five times as many people suffer a spinal fracture or dislocation.
