Gage With Multiple Fractures In His Back

November 12, 2009

No wonder Titans Wide Receiver Justin Gage said he felt sore all over after his high-flying catch Sunday at San Francisco: he suffered multiple fractures in his back.

Head Coach Jeff Fisher made the announcement Thursday afternoon, but did not rule Gage out of this week's game against Buffalo. Fisher did term it "unlikely" Gage would play.  

“Justin Gage has multiple fractures of the transverse process bones. It’s just a matter of healing," Fisher said. “He is getting better. Things have to settle down. He is obviously very uncomfortable.”

Though the injury sounds serious, a review of medical literature found fractures in the back to be relatively common. They most often occur after car accidents or falls as the pressure becomes such on a bone that it breaks. This causes bone fragments to pinch and damage the spinal nerves or spinal cord. In less serious cases, a patient will feel mild ligament and muscle strains, such as the ones described by Gage.

“It’s nothing neurological or nerve related, but it happens sometimes, especially with that type of impact,” Fisher said.

Most fractures in the back heal without surgery, according to experts. Fisher did not provide a timetable on Gage's injury.

Gage suffered the injury on a second-half play as he jumped high in the air for the ball. He went to the sidelines where he said he began to feel pain soon after the adrenaline wore off.

Rookie wide receiver Kenny Britt will most likely receive more repetitions on Sunday if Gage is unable to go. Britt said he was up to the challenge if his number gets called when the Bills come to LP Field.

"That means to me to step it up and take his place and fill his shoes until he gets back on track and everything," Britt said. "Right now the coaches and players have asked me to step up and that's what I need to do."