Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
07:28
A Contusive Model of Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using the Infinite Horizon Impactor
Published on: July 24, 2012
20.6K
Cervical Spine Injuries in Athletes.
The Physician and Sportsmedicine
|July 28, 2016
Summary
Aggressive sports increase spine injury risk, especially with poor conditioning and technique. While severe injuries are reduced, athletes still face less severe spine issues requiring individualized medical management for return to play.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Orthopedics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Sports-related spine injuries are a significant concern in athletics.
- Aggressive sports and inadequate preparation increase injury incidence.
- Previous efforts have reduced catastrophic injuries but not all spine injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pathomechanics and epidemiology of sports-related spine injuries.
- To outline common risk factors for spine injuries in athletes.
- To provide guidelines for managing athletes with spine injuries and inform return-to-play decisions.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on sports-related spine injuries.
- Analysis of common injury patterns and risk factors.
- Development of management guidelines based on clinical presentation.
Main Results:
- Injury incidence correlates with sport aggressiveness.
- Poor neck conditioning and improper technique are key risk factors.
- Transient neurologic deficits and asymptomatic cervical spinal stenosis require specific management strategies.
Conclusions:
- While catastrophic spine injuries have decreased, less severe injuries remain a risk.
- Individualized assessment is crucial for determining an athlete's readiness to return to sports.
- Physicians must carefully weigh risks and benefits for each athlete.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature
11.4K
The vertebral column or spine is a flexible column that supports the head, neck, and body and allows for their movements. It also protects the spinal cord.
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form...
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form...
11.4K
01:28Articulations of the Vertebral Column
3.6K
In addition to being held together by the intervertebral discs, adjacent vertebrae also articulate with each other at synovial joints formed between the superior and inferior articular processes called zygapophysial joints (facet joints). These are plane joints that provide for only limited motions between the vertebrae. The orientation of the articular processes at these joints varies in different regions of the vertebral column and serves to determine the types of motions available in each...
3.6K
01:54The Spinal Cord
32.7K
The spinal cord is the body’s major nerve tract of the central nervous system, communicating afferent sensory information from the periphery to the brain and efferent motor information from the brain to the body. The human spinal cord extends from the hole at the base of the skull, or foramen magnum, to the level of the first or second lumbar vertebra.
32.7K