Spinal Conditions in the Athlete

Book excerpt: This concise, user-friendly guide brings together the strongest available evidence with expert recommendations to provide insight into the management of injuries to the athlete’s spine, including controversies unique to this area. Divided into three thematic sections, this information will prove invaluable, as many of the real-world questions surrounding care do not have distinct and obvious answers. Considerations for team physician management comprises part I, including on-field assessment of spine injuries and concussion, rehabilitation and return to play, and complications and post-concussion sequelae. The second and third sections discuss injuries to the cervical spine and the thoracolumbar spine, respectively, describing injury evaluation, management, and outcomes in the elite athlete. Spine conditions have been studied extensively in the general population; however, applying this data to the elite athlete is controversial. Numerous external variables make performance of well-designed clinical trials challenging in this population, and consequently evidence-based recommendations are lacking for the athlete’s spine. Practical and engaging, Spinal Conditions in the Athlete will be an excellent resource for sports medicine specialists, orthopedic and neurosurgeons, and any clinician treating the active patient.