Even as an on-field spinal injury keeps Brazil's star player Neymar Junior out of World Cup semifinal clash between Brazil and Germany Tuesday, experts say similar injuries are also common off the field.
"A severe electric shock could put you in Neymar's position," Garima Anandani, chief spine specialist at Qi Spine Clinic in Mumbai told IANS.
Neymar suffered a transverse fracture of the left side of the third lumbar vertebra during Brazil's match against Colombia last week.
Even a ride on Mumbai's trains in rush hour may put you at risk of spinal injury, Anandani added.
Severe twisting of the middle portion of the torso could injure your vertebra," she noted.
Other than a violent attack by an opponent's ruthless knee, electric shock and torso twisting, Anandani said, diving into water that is too shallow and hitting the bottom, falling from a significant height and trauma during a car accident (specifically trauma to the face, head and neck region, back, or chest area) could inflict a Neymar-like injury.