Plain roentgenograms of the spine in the injured athlete

The valued techniques and types of plain roentgenograms of the cervical spine and the lumbar spine in athletic injuries are discussed. A considerable number of injury types exist, as well as a large number of various roentgenographic views that the physician may order. In approaching the athlete with an injured spine, the physician depends on the length of symptoms, associated physical findings such as neurologic deficit, and clinical information available for both the cervical and lumbar spine injury.