OMNISPORT

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier underwent "spinal stabilization surgery" on Wednesday night, the NFL team announced on Thursday.

Shazier, who suffered what so far has been described by the team only as "a spinal injury" in Monday's game against the Bengals in Cincinnati, is hospitalized at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Spinal stabilization surgery can take a variety of forms, but typically involves "instrumentation" (titanium or stainless steel screws, plates, etc.) and/or bone graft to stabilize the spine to treat spinal cord problems, including those caused by trauma, as likely is Shazier's case. The surgery usually is done in an effort to take pressure off (decompress) the spinal cord or nerve roots.

The Steelers did not elaborate on what exactly Shazier's surgery entailed nor what his prognosis is.