Spinal Cord Injury

 Burners and stingers are common: Up to 70% of college football players report having had one of these injuries. Minor neck pain is annoying, but it should eventually get better on its own or with treatment. A serious neck injury, on the other hand, is more than just a pain in the neck. If your spinal cord is damaged, you can be paralyzed for life. 

The first thing we have to define is what exactly we mean when we say a person “broke their neck.” The word “break” in this context typically implies a broken bone (i.e. a broken arm or leg). Thus a broken neck generally means that the bones of the neck (the cervical vertebrae) are fractured. Broken vertebrae can result from car accident injuries, sports injuries, or slip and fall accidents – to name a few. Broken vertebrae are usually quite painful but can be effectively treated. It’s when the nerves are impacted that matters get more complicated.

Paralysis will only occur when the spinal nerves are damaged or severed. So the question of whether or not a broken neck will directly result in paralysis depends entirely on the nature of the “break.” If the break only damages the vertebrae, there will likely be no paralysis. However, if the break damages any nerves in the neck, paralysis is much more likely. The extent of the paralysis depends on the level of the injury and the extent of the nerve damage 

A broken neck (or any broken bone for that matter) should be addressed immediately by a medical professional. Surgery may be necessary to remove any loose fragments of bone and prevent permanent nerve damage and paralysis.

SKIING:

There are three main causes of people sustaining spinal cord injuries through skiing and snowboarding: excessive speed, a lack of training, and collisions. Excessive speed is the main cause of spinal cord injuries while skiing or snowboarding. Excessive speed typically happens when someone skis or snowboards on a slope that is too steep, or when someone is inexperienced and does not know how to control their speed. Excessive speed can cause a person to lose control of their balance and fall; falling while traveling at a high speed can result in a serious spinal cord injury.

The second main way people experience spinal cord injuries through skiing or snowboarding is through a lack of training. Research shows that novice skiers and snowboarders are ten times more likely than experienced skiers and snowboarders to experience a catastrophic injury. When someone is inexperienced in these activities, they are more likely to fall, collide with someone or something, or lose control of their speed.

The third most common way people sustain SCIs through skiing and snowboarding is through collisions. When a person collides with a tree, another person, or an object at a high speed, they can sustain severe impact to their skull, neck, or back. Severe impact to the skull, neck, or back can lead to a spinal cord injury, which typically results in lifelong paralysis and health complications.

LOWER BACK INJURY:

The lower back, or lumbar spine, is the most common area of back pain in athletes.  Pain usually occurs from bone, muscle or disc problems. The most common cause of lower back pain in young athletes is a stress fracture-a bone injury. The second most common cause is a muscle strain of the lower back.

• The lower back is a main power generator in many sports and can be overstressed if strength, coordination, or overuse is a problem, resulting in the gradual onset of back pain.
• Injuries to the lower back in a sports practice or event occur with trauma, either by a fall or too much force placed on the low back.  This results in the sudden onset of back pain that often prevents the athlete from completing the sports event.
• Athletes in certain sports are at higher risk for back injuries.  Examples are football, gymnastics, and dance.  The mechanical demands of these sports make the low back vulnerable to overuse or quick onset of back pain.

The cause of back pain in children and adolescents is often very different in adults. Adults deal with more disc pain, which is not a common problem for children and adolescents. 

Back Injuries:

 Even with the advanced measures, the most resilient arms still face a year and a half of rehab before attempting a comeback. Back injuries are some of the most serious in sports. One of the most frightening out of any back injury is a fractured vertebrae, which can affect a person’s ability to move and may even lead to paralysis. 

Mixed Martial Arts:

Martial artist may suffer different injuries as a direct result of their practice. Back injuries are between the most common. In this article you will learn what to do in case you or somebody else suffer from a back injury.

If there is the smallest possibility that the back is broken from a traumatic injury, the individual should not be moved under any circumstance. Wait for the paramedics to get there and take the martial artist to the hospital.

Besides intense back pain, the classic symptoms of a possible broken back are: Tumescent, tickling or leg pain, and a numb sensation in body and legs. Fortunately a broken back is not a common issue in martial arts practice

When participating in any sport, injuries to any part of the spine are possible, as well as injuries to the soft tissue and fascia that help comprise the makeup of the body. Up to 20% of all injuries that occur in sports involve an injury to the lower back or neck.

The lower back is subject to a great deal of strain in many sports. Sports that use repetitive impact (e.g., running), a twisting motion (e.g. golf), or weight loading at the end of a range-of-motion (e.g., weightlifting) commonly cause damage to the lower back.

The neck is most commonly injured in sports that involve contact (e.g., football), which place the cervical spine (neck) at risk of injury.

The thoracic spine (mid portion of the spine at the level of the rib cage) is less likely to be injured because it is relatively immobile and has extra support. Injuries seen here can involve rib fracture and intercostal neuralgia as well as intercostal muscle strains in sports that involve rotation of the torso (e.g. weight training with rotation), swimming, golf, tennis, and even skiing.

BASEBALL:

The sport of baseball requires frequent use of the spine. Swinging a bat involves a lot of twisting, grabbing a grounder with your glove requires bending, and throwing the ball uses a combination of these motions. Injuries to the spinal cord can severely inhibit a player’s ability to perform these essential game functions. Similarly, these motions can themselves lead to spine conditions and injuries. Here are a couple of the more common spine injuries that baseball players suffer from:

• Herniated Discs.
• Nerve Injuries.
• Bone Spurs.

These conditions and injuries can result at any level of baseball, and with players of any age. Spinal conditions can develop over time with the repetitive swinging motions that baseball requires. They can also result from acute injuries, such as getting hit in the back with a ball.

The thoracic spine (mid portion of the spine at the level of the rib cage) is less likely to be injured because it is relatively immobile and has extra support. Injuries seen here can involve rib fracture and intercostal neuralgia as well as intercostal muscle strains in sports that involve rotation of the torso (e.g. weight training with rotation), swimming, golf, tennis, and even skiing.

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Neck Injuries:

WHEN IT COMES TO football-related head injuries, the headline-grabbers are usually about concussion. However, it's not infrequent that a hard-enough hit to the head can result in both a concussion and a significant injury to the cervical spine, or neck. What's more, it isn't the professional players who are sustaining the majority of neck injuries related to football play. It's mostly collegiate and youth athletes. When a hard enough hit or fall can result in a fracture or paralysis, it's essential to look at why and how these injuries occur. Then, we must figure out ways to prevent them – or at least reduce the risk.

It might seem delicate on the outside, but your neck is one biological powerhouse on the inside. It must be flexible enough for you to turn your head from side to side, but strong enough to support the head, which weighs about 10 pounds. Neck stability occurs through the intricate arrangement of vertebrae in the cervical spine – the seven vertebrae in the neck.

WINTER SPORTS

With the growth of the X Games, winter “extreme” sports like freestyle skiing and snowboarding are as popular as ever. These sports send athletes far into the air and down the slopes and ramps at tremendous speeds. Injuries, especially concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBI), unfortunately can occur.

January is National Winter Sports TBI Awareness Month. Knowing just how common these injuries are in winter sports can help us take steps to prevent some of these brain injuries.

Extreme sports injuries to the head and neck

A study by Vinay K Sharma and colleagues recently published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the incidence of head and neck injuries in seven extreme sports – snowboarding, snow skiing, snowmobiling, surfing, skateboarding, mountain biking and motocross. The study is helpful to provide injury data, as these sports often lack the ability for organizing bodies to track participants. Plus this study allows us to compare rates of concussions in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding to the risks in warm-weather activities.

The study’s findings are summarized below:

• More than 4 million injuries were reported in the seven sports between 2000 and 2011. Eleven percent involved injuries to the head and neck with 83% of these involving the head.
• Head and neck injuries increased significantly over the period studied with 34,565 occurring in 2000, while 40,042 occurred in 2011.
• Skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing and motocross had the highest number of head and neck injuries. Mountain biking, snowmobiling, and surfing had the lowest numbers.
• Snowboarding had the most concussions. In fact, about 30% of concussions in extreme sports occurred in snowboarding. Snow skiing was associated with about 25% of concussions.
• Skateboarding and motocross had the most severe head and neck injuries, like skull fractures and cervical spine fractures.

Tips to prevent head injuries in winter sports

While the data might seem frightening, there are some steps that might decrease your chance of suffering traumatic brain injuries in winter sports:

• Wear a helmet. Helmets are critical in extreme winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, which account for a significant number of concussions.
• Do everything possible to optimize the conditions where you are performing these activities. Stay within the marked boundaries on the slopes and watch out for obstacles and hazardous conditions
• Try to participate in these activities in places where medical care is not far away. Professional competitions have doctors and emergency medical services, but many people perform these activities in remote locations. Seek medical attention if there is any question that you might have suffered a traumatic brain injury, no matter how minor it might seem.

Neck Injuries:

 Sports-related injuries are responsible for a large portion of spinal cord injury, especially in children and teenagers. Sports-related spinal cord injury can be the result of a fall or a blow that damages a portion of the spinal cord. Typically, the athlete has some degree of paralysis below the point of injury. 

According to a 2009 position statement from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), proper management of acute spinal injuries on the athletic playing field is crucial, given that sports participation constitutes the second most common cause of spinal cord injuries for Americans age 30 and younger.

Sports medicine providers and others on the sidelines need to be familiar with the appropriate acute-management guidelines for athletes with cervical-spine injuries. The NATA's position statement provides detailed guidelines for the immediate treatment and transport of athletes who are injured on the playing field.

"Serious spinal injuries can be devastating, due to the high incidence of long-term neurological impairment and premature death," said Erik E. Swartz, PhD, ATC, lead author of the statement. "That's why we urge players and parents, as well as coaches and medical personnel, to become better versed about how to prevent these types of injuries and how to care for injured athletes and safely prepare them for transport to a hospital."

According to the statement, athletic trainers and other health care professionals, coaches, athletes, and people on the sidelines should be aware of, and follow, these guidelines in order to avoid injury or exacerbate spinal injuries that have already occurred:

1. Understand how cervical spine injuries occur and be fully aware of the importance of avoiding contact with the head in any sport, and emphasizing proper techniques of tackling or checking in football, ice hockey and lacrosse.
2. Keep current on all pertinent safety rules enacted for the prevention of cervical spine injuries. 
3. Properly maintain all sporting equipment, and wear and use equipment as intended by the manufacturer. 
4. The importance of a proper fit when it comes to equipment cannot be understated, because correctly fitted helmets and other equipment often helps with spine stabilization in the event of an injury.  
5. Immediate care by knowledgeable health care providers, such as athletic trainers, is critical to the successful treatment of an athlete with a spine injury, so make sure these types of professionals are on the sidelines. 
6. Ensure that an emergency action plan is in place and has been reviewed by all medical personnel, administrators, coaches and players. 

Neck Injuries:

 Sports involving violent physical contact carry a greater risk of a neck fracture, including football, ice hockey, rugby, and wrestling. Spearing an opponent in football or rugby can cause a broken neck and so can non-contact activities like gymnastics, if the gymnast misses the high bar during a release and falls. 

Martial Arts: 

Most common back injuries are painful but not serious. In case of a minor injury, immediately apply ice on the painful area and take the injured to the specialist as soon as possible, just in case a radiographic or any other exploration is necessary to determine the reach of the initial state of a painful back injury, the more time spend laid without getting back on your feet the better. If it is possible, lay in a supine position without placing any pillow under your head.

In case you have to sit, make sure that the back is well positioned. The doctor can give you a corset to support your back without limiting the movement. If it hurt too much, you should not go to work.

Avoid any activity that causes any pain on the back, and put special attention to keep the appropriate back posture. Bad posture that allows your back to bend and ligament distension, can be comfortable at the beginning, but can contribute to the increase of back pain later.

As soon as you feel less pain, and the doctor allows it, you should start to do light exercises that don’t produce pain.

Once you can perform more complex exercises to strengthen your back, that implies movements of the spice, without pain, you can advance to do mobilization exercises.

The sequence of rehabilitation exercise depends on each concrete injury, on your pain and doctor judgment.

In general the more advisable is to start with simple exercises that imply light strengthening. To advance later to mobility exercises.

It is possible that at this time you could do hanging inverted exercises using and inversion table, because they help to alleviate a rigid back. But with every exercise the rule should be to avoid pain.

Stretching exercises shouldn’t be done till you haven’t got a great degree of strength and mobilization. You must be very careful not to over stretch you upper body, because it would produce a painful posterior reaction, especially if you have suffered from leg pain as a consequence of your back injury.

After any back injury is a good idea to start exercising in a swimming pool. The low gravity environment offered by water is great. You can get a great range of movement in the water without overloading the back.

Neck Injuries - First Aid:

It is important to stabilise the head and neck if a serious neck injury is suspected. Do not correct the head position of a conscious person, and avoid moving the person before an experienced professional is present. Call emergency services as soon as possible.

If the person is unconscious, commence first aid. In addition and especially if the weather is cold, it is important to prevent the person getting cold. Place blankets or clothing around the injured person.

Pain and stiffness are common after injury. If there is no suspicion of a severe acute neck injury, it is safe to move the head and neck. Start slow and increase the degree of movement gradually.

If pain and stiffness persist for more than three weeks following injury, it advisable to consult a doctor or physiotherapist regarding treatment, information and exercise guidance.

CHEERLEADERS:

The two most common areas of pain for cheerleaders are the ankle and the spine. While the ankle may represent a somewhat serious injury, lower back pain (LBP) in a cheer athlete can be as simple as a pulled muscle or something much more serious.

Lower back pain in the cheer athlete is so common that it is almost expected at least once during the cheer career. Most of the time, it is felt when the lumbar spine (lower back) is place in excessive extension (leaning back). There can be many reasons that cheer athletes experience LBP. After due diligence and ruling out odd things like kidney stones, digest organ problem, and other visceral (internal organs) problems; the most likely culprit for LBP during extension is the spine. Cheer athletes are notorious for the “cheer body” or “cheer posture”. You’ve all seen it. I affectionately refer to it as “J-Lo” posture….mom’s and dad’s will get that a little quicker than the younger crowd. The “seat” sticks out, the belly drops, and the back is constantly in a state of extension. This is caused by excessively tight hip flexors, weak lower core, weak glutes, and excessively flexible hamstrings. Now, while this may not immediately present a problem, the long term implications are very serious. If the spine stays in this excessively extended position, it can eventually lead to fracture and potential nerve damage.