Cervical Spine Alignment in the Youth Football Athlete Recommendations for Emergency Transportation

BackgroundSubstantial literature exists regarding recommendations for the on-field treatment and subsequent transportation of adult collision-sport athletes with a suspected injury to the cervical spine.PurposeTo develop an evidence-based recommendation for transportation of suspected spine-injured youth football players.Study DesignDescriptive laboratory study.MethodsThree lateral radiographs were obtained in supine to include the occiput to the cervical thoracic junction from 31 youth football players (8-14 years). Each child was imaged while wearing helmet and shoulder pads, without equipment, and with shoulder pads only. Two independent observers measured cervical spine angulation as Cobb angle from C1 to C7 and subaxial angulation from C2 to C7. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients for intraobserver reliability analysis and compared Cobb and C2 to C7 angles between equipment conditions with t tests.ResultsInterobserver analysis showed excellent reliability among measurements. Cobb and su...