Packers TE Finley Posts Video of Recovery Process

CREATED Oct. 22, 2013

GREEN BAY, Wis.--Jermichael Finley posted a cell video via Twitter Tuesday showing him up and walking. Its a good sign for a player who just suffered a serious spinal cord injury two days earlier.

Dr. Tom Sylvester of Prevea Health says the early reports on Finley have been positive. Dr. Sylvester is an orthopedic spine surgeon who treats patients with a wide variety of spinal issues. He says several specialists will likely take a look at Finley before making a full diagnosis.

"It sounds as though Jermichael Finely's injury doesn't involve any type of structural abnormalities or any type of instability which going forward is a good sign for him. The concern is what is the degree of his injury and are any of the results going to be permanent," Sylvester said.

Physical therapist Nick Baudhuin works with patients recovering from spinal injuries. He says rehab time varies from case to case.

"It depends on how much recovery he has in the first couple weeks after the injury you see the most recoveries that will be the best judge of how much function you will regain after the injury," Baudhuin said.

Rehab from spinal injuries will include exercises to make sure the body is responding to simple tasks.The rehab schedule is ramped up if the patient's body responds well to treatment.

"For some athletes these types of injuries are a minor bump in the road and they do come back to full play, for others folks it can be career altering if not a career ending injury," Sylvester said.

Finley's road to recovery is just beginning.

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Packers TE Finley Posts Video of Recovery Process