Injuries and Abnormalities of the Cervical Spine and Return to Play Criteria

Sporting injuries are a relatively common cause of spinal cord injury in the United States, particularly among those younger than 30 years. Many cervical injuries have characteristic mechanisms of injury, which often helps to understand the nature of resulting neurologic injury. Return-to-play guidelines are presented for cervical fractures, stingers, transient neuropraxia, and other acquired and congenital forms of cervical pathology. The role of the sideline physician in treating cervical spine injury is reviewed. Literature that documents the rate of return to play after cervical injury can help treating physicians counsel players about the likelihood of return to play after their own cervical injury.