Hockey player who broke neck walking

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Hockey player who broke neck walking


ST. PAUL, Minn., -- University of Denver hockey player Jesse Martin, who suffered a broken neck when hit during a game, is up and walking after surgery, doctors said. Martin, 22, collapsed after the blow by the University of North Dakota's Brad Malone during an Oct. 30 game in Grand Forks, N.D. He was transported to a St. Paul, Minn., hospital, where he was diagnosed with three broken vertebrae in his neck.
Doctors said Tuesday Martin was walking around his hospital room after an operation that included inserting a screw into one of the broken vertebra and realigning the other two, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The physicians added the procedure went so well a return to the game for Martin couldn't be ruled out.
"We're very happy with how the surgery went," Dr. Alex Mendez of Regions Hospital told the newspaper. "These injuries ... can cause paralysis. Some people can die. If he had been hit a little bit more, we probably wouldn't be here."
Mendez said it will be about a year before therapists can determine how fully the 180-pound senior center will recover.
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