Tulane player awake after spine surgery

Posted on Sep 11, 2012 in Sports | 0 comments

Injured Tulane University senior safety Devon Walker was awake and responsive after spinal surgery, the school’s athletics director said Monday.

Rick Dickson told reporters at a Tulsa, Okla., hospital that it was still too early to determine the extent of the injury to Walker, who sustained a fractured spine during Tulane’s loss to the University of Tulsa Saturday.

The AD also said it was undetermined how long the player would remain at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa.

Walker underwent a 3-hour procedure Sunday during which neurosurgeons stabilized his spine.

Dr. Greg Stewart, Tulane’s director of sports medicine, told The Tulsa World it’s unknown if Walker will be paralyzed.

“[The paralysis potential] is certainly a concern,” he said. “We don’t know what the ultimate outcome is going to be.”

Copyright 2012 by United Press International