Regional injuries of the cervical spine: sports-related anatomical, pathophysiological, and clinical perspectives

Cervical spine injuries occur infrequently on the athletic field (Dietz and Lillegard 1999). Nevertheless, sporting events have been reported as the fourth most common cause of spinal cord injury (behind motor vehicle collisions, assaults, and falls) (NSCISC 2006). The possibility of catastrophic cervical spine injury exists with involvement in sports, where it can be defined as ‘structural distortion of the cervical spinal column associated with actual or potential damage to the spinal cord’. This may result in irreversible neurological injury to the athlete (...