The Spine: Sports-Related Pathology

Youth sports participation carries an inherent risk of spine injury, including overuse injuries. Acute injuries are the same as those that occur in nonsporting accidents, whereas overuse or repetitive trauma injuries are unique to sports medicine. The entire spectrum of acute traumatic injuries affecting the spine in pediatric and adolescent athletes is covered, including evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. The chapter is divided into two sections. The first section, “Acute Injuries” contains five subchapters: epidemiology, relevant developmental anatomy, cervical trauma (including burners and stingers and spinal cord neurapraxia), thoracolumbar trauma (including fracture of the posterior rim), and spinal cord injuries (including SCIWORA), which constitute uncommon but nonetheless devastating occurrences to those participating in athletic events. The second section, “Overuse Injuries,” covers the general and surgical management of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis that are the most common overuse injuries of the lower back in sport, especially in growing adolescents.