Two case reports of cervical spinal cord injury in football (soccer) players

Study design: Two case reports of male football players who sustained injury to cervical spinal cord as a direct result of the sport. Objective: To raise the awareness that playing football (soccer), a very popular sport, may cause injury to the cervical spinal cord with dire consequences, albeit rarely. Setting: North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, Southport, UK. Case report: We report two male football players, who sustained injury to the cervical spine and developed tetraplegia as a direct result of the sport. Case 1: A 21-year-old football player was tackled from behind while running with the football, he lost his balance and landed on his head resulting in burst fracture dislocation of C5/C6 associated with immediate onset of complete tetraplegia (ASIA-A). Case 2: A 24-year-old football player collided, head first, with his own team goalkeeper, causing a hyperextension of neck. He developed motor complete tetraplegia at C5 level, with some sensation sparing below the level of injury (ASIA-B). Conclusion: Injury to the cervical spinal cord is known to occur in some team contact sports such as rugby and American football. Over time the laws and the preparation of the athletes for these games have been changed in order to minimize the neck injuries. What might not be appreciated is that playing football (soccer), a very popular sport worldwide, may cause injury to cervical spinal cord with dire consequences.