Spinal Injuries In Sports

Sport related spinal injuries are common among young males. Football, ice hockey, gymnastics and wrestling are all sports in which spinal injuries have been known to happen. Football is the sport...

Sport related spinal injuries are common among young males. Football, ice hockey, gymnastics and wrestling are all sports in which spinal injuries have been known to happen. Football is the sport most likely to have spinal injuries with defensive players at greater risk. Most football players who sustained spinal injuries received them while tackling. The helmet is the single most important protection device during tacking and blocking.

Spinal injuries can also occur from diving accidents, and when landing on the head during sporting events. Sports and recreational activities cause 18% of spinal cord injuries. To prevent spinal injuries while participating in sporting events it is important to always wear a helmet while riding a bike, motorcycle, scooter, or skateboard. Wear a helmet while participating in roller-skating or in-line skating. Always wear a helmet while skiing or snowboarding and also while horseback riding. Other sports where it is important to wear a helmet are football, baseball and softball and also ice hockey.

It is important to make sure that the water is deep enough before diving headfirst.

Always wear appropriate safety gear while participating in any sport. It is important to avoid headfirst moves, such as tackling with the top of your head or sliding headfirst into a base while playing baseball or softball. When participating in gymnastics insist on using spotters when performing activities that put you at risk.

Communities can make a difference when it comes to preventing spinal injuries in youth sports by providing education awareness programs for coaches, and community sports league officials and coaches, referees, public swimming activities and owners of sporting arenas in the community. Techniques should be taught that emphasize proper conditioning exercises for the neck, and that encourage referees to enforce tackling rules in communities games. Administrators and coaches should know proper handling and evaluation of players who are injured during practices or during competitions or games.

There are two types of spinal cord injury: complete and incomplete. A complete injury is one that has no function below the level of he injury (no sensation and no voluntary movement). An incomplete injury means that there is some functioning below the level of the injury.

Individual suffering from a spinal injury may have a loss of sensation, or a loss of motor functioning. They may also experience a change in the ability to have a bowel movement or in bladder control. They may be affected in the ability to function sexually, or to be able to have involuntary functions like that of breathing, or the ability to regulate blood pressure, or body temperature, or the ability to sweat below the level of injury. They may also have chronic pain.

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