Cervical spine injury in athletes

Jillian E. Mayer, Samuel K. Cho, Sheeraz A. Qureshi, Andrew C. Hecht

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cervical spine injuries affect athletes all over the world, at all levels of play, and in a wide range of sports. Although sportsinduced injuries have decreased recently, they still account for 8% of spinal cord injuries in the US. These injuries can be associated with catastrophic neurologic impairment. The most common types of sports-related cervical injuries include burner syndrome, cervical cord neurapraxia, fractures and ligamentous injuries, and herniated discs. Burner syndrome occurs most frequently. Cervical stenosis may predispose individuals to certain injuries or may increase the risk of recurrent events. Cervical spine injuries represent challenges for players, coaches, trainers, physicians, and researchers. Return-to-play decisions depend on many factors that often are sport and situationspecific. There are many guidelines for return-to-play decisions; however, no universally accepted criteria can be applied to any situation. While many sports have taken steps to diminish the risk associated with cervical injuries, they still occur. Research is lacking on the topic of prevention; more education to the athletic community will help improve both the prevention and management of cervical spine injuries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)181-187
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Orthopaedic Practice
Volume23
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2012

Keywords

  • Burner syndrome
  • Cervical cord neurapraxia
  • Cervical fracture
  • Cervical spine sports-related injury
  • Return to play guidelines

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