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Henning wrestler will need surgery for injury [UPDATED]
Published 11:23am Thursday, March 1, 2012 Updated 11:57am Monday, March 5, 2012Earlier this week, it appeared that Henning sophomore and Otter Tail Central wrestler Nolan Koch would be able to avoid surgery to correct neck injuries caused by a recent freak wrestling accident. However, Otter Tail Central wrestling coach Scott Hart reported Wednesday that Koch would be undergoing surgery Thursday afternoon to fuse together two vertebrae in his neck and hopefully help heal a herniated disc.
“(Koch’s doctors) just felt that it wasn’t making the progress that they wanted,” said Hart of the disc.
Koch still is moving and conscious, though he is under a lot of pain. The surgery, said Hart, should take away some of Koch’s pain and helm him heal faster.
The flipside is that Koch’s prognosis for recovery is unknown. Though Koch suffered no paralysis in the accident during a match on Feb. 24 in Barrett that also fractured two vertebrae in his neck, Hart said doctors are unsure how the surgery will affect Koch’s sports career down the road.
Hart spoke with Koch by phone on Wednesday.
“He was pretty down,” Hart said, but he noted that Koch still has the will to recover.. “He’s a strong kid, and he’ll get through this.”
