Serious spinal injury 'does not necessarily end a sporting career'RSS Feed

A serious spinal injury does not necessarily spell the end of a rugby player's career, it is reported.

Nearly a decade ago and with four Scotland international caps under his belt, Barry Stewart suffered a spinal injury that threatened to cut short his promising career, reports the Scotsman newspaper.

The Scottish Rugby Union called time on his career due to the injury, but a neurosurgeon persuaded the player that the decision was wrong.

"Scans showed I had a compression fracture and historic fractures that had been there for a while," he told the newspaper. "But when everything was presented to me and the risks outlined, I knew I could play again."

Stewart left Scotland and enjoyed another seven years as a rugby player for Sale Sharks and Northampton.

He is now aged 34 and embarking on a career in finance in his native Edinburgh.

Meanwhile, the Sunderland and England footballer Kieran Richardson has told the Daily Mail that the serious spinal injury he recently recovered from has improved him as a person and as a player.

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