Cervical Disk Injuries eMedicine Sports

Description: Acute cervical spine injury has been associated with sports such as football, gymnastics, rugby, ice hockey, and diving. Athletes with cervical disc injury may present with neck pain, radicular pain, quadriparesis, or quadriplegia secondary to myelopathy. This article intends to outline the etiopathology, evaluation, and treatment of cervical disc disease. Available guidelines for return to play following cervical disc injury are also presented.
Synonyms and related keywords: acute cervical spine injury, annular tear with herniation of the nucleus pulposus, annular tear without herniation of the nucleus pulposus, cervical degenerative disease
Robert E Windsor, MD