Coach Maurice announced Bryan Little is out for the season (compression fractured vertebrae). #NHLJets recall Halischuk from @ManitobaMoose.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) February 25, 2016
The Winnipeg Jets will be without Bryan Little for the rest of the season after he has been diagnosed with a fractured T-6 vertebra. This news comes with a bit of a surprise as Little was skating with the team a few days ago. It is probable that Little took a hard hit against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 18 that caused this injury.
Looking online, a compression fracture in the T-6 vertebra usually does not require surgery. It does however require rest, which is why Little has been shut down for the season. Rest or reduction of physical activity are customary when recovering from this injury. According to WebMD it takes three months of a thoracic compression fracture to heal, which means Little should be healthy by mid to late May. Besides resting, the only other thing that may be done is putting Little in a brace, but that is not always a part of the treatment plan. That will be on his doctors to decide. Finally, the other thing that will happen to Little is he will have pain management through mild pain medications, which do not help the fracture heal, but can help make the patient feel more comfortable.
All in all, this is a scary injury for Little but the internet says that surgery happens only in the worst cases and surgery was not mentioned, so that it a good thing for Little. Secondly, it seems shocking that these types of injuries are not more common as the mechanism of injury, a hard hit, are very common in hockey.
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