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Updated: Feb 16, 2026
Localization of SUMO-modified Proteins Using Fluorescent Sumo-trapping Proteins
Published on: April 27, 2019
Radiological Changes in the Cervical Spine in Freshman Collegiate Sumo Wrestlers
Yasuaki Nakagawa1, Shogo Mukai1, Kazufumi Minami2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National Hospital Organization, Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto, Japan.
Background:
Sumo has long been a traditional sport in Japan and is rapidly attracting enthusiasts abroad. Sumo wrestling entails a risk of impact to the cervical spine during an initial charge. Few reports are available in the English-language literature regarding radiological changes in the cervical spine in sumo wrestlers.
Purpose:
To examine radiological changes in the cervical spine in freshmen collegiate sumo wrestlers.
Study Design:
Case series; Level of evidence, 4.
Methods:
A total of 53 freshmen sumo wrestlers (age, 18-19 years) who belonged to the Japan Sumo Federation underwent routine radiographic examination of the cervical spine and completed questionnaires on cervical symptoms.
Results:
Of the 53 wrestlers, 81% showed loss of lordosis, 45% showed osteophyte formation (mainly at C3-C4), 11% showed disc space narrowing (mainly at C5-C6), and 51% showed narrowing of the cervical nerve root foramina (mainly at C3-C4). Fifty-one percent had some cervical symptoms. A correlation was found between deformity of the cervical bodies (such as intervertebral disc ballooning) and cervical symptoms, but no correlation was found between cervical degenerative changes and cervical symptoms.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest that loss of lordosis, osteophyte formation, and narrowing of the cervical nerve root foramina at C3-C4 were frequently present in freshmen wrestlers and may be due to the axial load incurred prior to their collegiate careers.
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