Sideline evaluation of neck pain: when is it time for transport?

Both ambulatory and nonambulatory athletes with neck pain require careful evaluation for possible cervical spine injury. The fact that an athlete is ambulatory should not lull the physician into a false sense of security (we offer a case study of a high school football player that makes this point dramatically) and the decision to return a player to the game should not be taken lightly. Symptoms such as neck pain, numbness, loss of range of motion of the neck, paralysis, or loss of consciousness require immediate action to prevent further, and possibly permanent, cervical spinal cord damage.