Logano puts Hamlin out 6 to 10 weeks

Logano: He’ll think twice before he does something next time

In Joey Logano's book, 'paybacks are a bitch.' Logano said. “I guess we’re even now. He’ll think twice before he does something next time."

Dr. LaTanya Lofton, M.D., Director, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Injury Medicine from the Carolinas Medical Center, spoke to co-host Danielle Trotta on tonight’s edition of FOX Sports’ SPEED NASCAR Race Hub.

Dr. Lofton talked about the injury and rehabilitation process that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin is anticipated to undergo before returning from a compression fracture of his vertebrae as a result of his incident with Joey Logano this past weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Here is how the interview went…

Danielle Trotta: Describe a compression fracture to the L1 vertebrae.

Dr. LaTonya Lofton: A compression fracture is a fracture that occurs typically in the front of a square-shaped bone, or at the front of the spine of one of the vertebral bones. It’s a fracture that occurs right in the front of that bone. It’s actually a compression of that particular vertebra.

Trotta: As a result of the compression fracture, which you just mentioned, Denny mentioned that it was hard to breathe and it was important for him to stay in an upright or a vertical position. Are those typical symptoms after an injury to the L1 vertebrae?

Dr. Lofton: Typical symptoms that patients have after a compression fracture of the L1 vertebrae actually include problems with pain. It’s one of the most common symptoms we have, is that people describe that they have severe pain in their lower back.

Trotta: What’s the doctor looking for in order to determine whether this fracture will heal on its own, or if Denny will need surgery?

Dr. Lofton: Typical things that we are looking for is that there are no neurological symptoms, such as weakness or problems with bowel or bladder function after a compression fracture.

Trotta: Can you predict a timetable for somebody trying to heal from this type of injury?

Dr. Lofton: It’s difficult to predict a time factor because we don’t know the extent of the compression fracture itself. We don’t know if there’s any other involvement, but average recovery after something like this could be anywhere from six-to-ten weeks.