Blue Jackets' Horton putting off back surgery, hopes to avoid early retirement

Nathan Horton is facing an almost impossible decision: Continue dealing with excruciating back pain or undergo a surgical process that would set things right but effectively end his professional hockey career.

In his first public statement since it was announced that the 29-year-old is suffering from a degenerative back injury, Horton described the pain that he's been experiencing.

“I can’t stand up like a normal person; I can’t bend over,” Horton said about his condition, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. “I can’t run. I can’t play with my kids. To get in and out of the car, I’m like a 75-year-old man … so slow and stiff. I can’t sleep at night. I try to lay down and my back seizes up and I can’t move, so sleeping is out. I’m like a zombie in the daytime.”

The alternative, however, is something Horton can't yet wrap his mind around.

“I don’t want to have surgery, because of what that means,” Horton said, referring to a three- or four-level spinal fusion with a titanium rod that would mean the end of his NHL career.

“I don’t want to live with this pain, but I don’t want to make that decision," he said. "It’s hard for me to say that, at 29 years old, I’m done. I mean, really? Done at 29?”

The Blue Jackets signed Horton to a seven-year, $37.1 million contract with the knowledge that he was in the process of rehabilitating a shoulder injury. It was while he was recovering from that surgery that he began to experience discomfort in his back and the symptoms have steadily worsened.

“At some point soon, we’ve got to make the call,” Horton said of whether or not to opt for the surgery.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Horton added. " ... But I’m not giving up. I still feel young other than my back. As long as I can hold off the surgery, I feel like there’s a chance. A chance for something. A miracle. Something.”

As noted by Portzline, Horton currently has no locker stall in the Columbus dressing room, perhaps a signal from the Blue Jackets that they're not anticipating his return.

In 627 career NHL games, Horton – drafted third overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2003 NHL Draft – recorded 203 goals and 218 assists. He was also a key member of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, contributing 17 points in 21 postseason games.

Horton appeared in only 36 games for the Blue Jackets last season, his first with the club.