The Most Common Spine Injuries in Athletes & How to Treat Them

Athletes push their bodies to their optimal point, and sometimes it results in spine injuries. Knowledge and awareness of the forms of spinal injuries in sports, how they occur, and how they can be addressed are important to athletes, trainers, and caregivers. Such injuries are best diagnosed and treated by clinics such as Croydon Sports Injury & Spinal Clinic incorporating professional athletes back to their prime performance.

What are Spine Injuries in Athletes?

Athlete’s spine injuries refer to any harm that befalls the spine in those individuals involved in an athletic endeavor due to traumatism or overloading. Accidents relating to spinal injuries in sports have historically been associated with sporting events. 

Studies have shown that the number of spinal cord injuries that have been attributed to sports in the United States is ten percent out of a total of a hundred. Football, rugby wrestling, ice hockey, skiing and mountaineering, diving and snowboarding, and motoring sports and activities are among the frequently given risky exercises leading to fatal spinal injuries.

Low back pain is amongst the most frequently reported ailments in all athletes, participants of both professional and amateur levels. Lower back injury is common in the lumbar spine because the majority of it supports the upper body weight and also engages in lifting, pulling, and twisting because of its mobility. Other types of spinal injuries in sports that are common in athletes include; cervical fractures and quadriplegia by axial compression forces on the head during a particular sports activity.

Anatomy of the Spine

The human backbone also known as the spine is important for supporting, providing smooth motion, and sheltering the delicate spinal cord. It consists of bony rings or bodies named vertebrae along with the in-between adjacent discs of fibrous connective tissues named intervertebral discs. The symmetry and strength of the body are provided by the vertebral column composed of vertebrae and discs starting from the neck to the pelvis.

Locations of Injuries

Neck

Football and wrestling among the contact sports commonly relate to the neck also known as the cervical spine. One example is a stinger or a burner or nerve pinch injury. Well-known in football, it involves the nerves in the area of the neck and shoulder and occurs in two ways: Head impact which leads to the squeezing of the spinal cord within the neck; or the stretching of the nerves within the area by a blow along the lateral plane.

Upper Back

They are the lower back (lumbar spine), the middle back area, and the neck or upper back (thoracic spine) which is in the middle and upper area of the back and covers the rib cage region. Thoracic spine injuries are not very frequent, because this region is supported and not very mobile. Some of the injuries when they happen include; Rib injuries and Muscle strains, which are common in sports that involve torsional movements like swimming, golfing, or tennis.

Lower back

The most impacted region of the back in sports is the lumbar spine which is often affected in sports injuries. Any running sports, and weight lifting impact routines like loading put force on the lower back, and sports with twisting movements like golfing exert additional pressure on the lower back part of the body. Hence, the majority of lower back pain is through problems with muscles, ligaments, discs, and joints of the lower back.

However, some more serious conditions can also occur and are common causes of back pain in sports. These include spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. These conditions are common in athletes who take part in activities like gymnastics, volleyball, diving, dancing, and cheerleading, where they often twist and bend their spines backward.

Causes and Risk Factors

Spine injuries in athletes can happen due to several reasons, such as:

• In activities where there is straining by bending, twisting, or in situations that involve lifting heavy objects.
• Any kind of injury that might be caused by a blow such as those experienced during football, rugby, or wrestling.
• Lack of proper conditioning schedules, or inadequate warm-up activities.
• Poverty or some other congenital factors such as genetic conditions or structural problems in the spine.

Spinal Injuries in Athletes

Common spinal injuries in sports that athletes may suffer include:

Strains and Sprains

Sprains: Strains occur when a ligament the tissue that connects to two bones at a joint is stretched or torn. This often occurs in joints like the ankle, wrist, or knee.

Symptoms: 

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Redness
• Warmth
• Reduced movement in the joint.

Causes: 

• Sudden stress
• Falls
• Shocks
• Unexpected impacts.

Strains: The injury in the tendon or muscle (the attachment of bone to muscle is by this tissue)

Symptoms: 

• Muscle cramps
• Pain
• Swelling
• Sometimes difficulty moving (paralysis).

Causes: 

• Overuse
• Improper lifting techniques
• Sudden forceful movements.

Fractured Vertebrae

The fractured vertebrae is defined as the breaking of one or more bones in the spine. Spinal fractures are of two main types:

• Simple (compression) fractures: Where the bone is compressed.
• Complex (burst) fractures: Where the bone breaks into multiple pieces.

Symptoms:

• Severe back pain.
• Difficulty bending or twisting.

Causes:

• Falls
• Car accidents
• Osteoporosis causes bone weakness.

Whiplash Injury

This type of injury of the neck happens with a sudden movement of the neck forward or backward, similar to a whiplash motion.

Symptoms:

• Stiffness and neck pain.
• Limited ability to move the neck.
• Headaches and dizziness.

Causes:

• Rear-end car accidents.
• Sports injuries.
• Physical fights or assaults.

Effects: This can cause certain disorders to muscles, ligaments, and discs throughout the cervical section of the spine.

Dislocation of Adjacent Bones

This is a disease that affects two bones that are related in that they make up for a joint in that they are pulled out of place.

• Symptoms: The patient presents evident deformity of the limb, severe pain, and synonyms of the part, and inability to move the joint.
• Causes: Trauma; falls; sports- and physical activity–related injuries.
• Common Sites: Shoulders, fingers, elbows, and knees.

Partial Misalignment (Subluxation) of Adjacent Bones

A partial dislocation is when the bones in a joint are damaged but still in contact with each other.

• Symptoms: Encounter situations of pain, tenderness, limitation of motion, and occasionally nerve irritation.
• Causes: Injury, strain, or predisposition to the instability of associated joints.
• Common Sites: Neck, back, or other articulation such as shoulder.

Disc Compression (Herniated Disc)

A condition whereby the soft interior of an intervertebral disc prolapses through a rupture in the hard exterior thereby exerting pressure on neighboring nerves.

• Symptoms: Excruciating pain and patients can feel numbness or muscle weakness or their hands and feet extending up into their arms or legs.
• Causes: Lifting heavy objects with the wrong techniques, spine disease, or spinal shock.

Hematoma (Accumulation of Blood)

A localized accumulation of blood in or around a body tissue without the occurrence of blood vessel involvement.

• Symptoms: Pain, redness, and/or localized puffiness of the part affected.
• Causes: Physical impact, operation, or perhaps a hemorrhage.
• Common Types: Subdurally, in the brain parenchyma, intramuscularly, or subcutaneously formed hematomas.

Partial or Complete Tears of Ligaments

Partial Tears: A ligament involves stretching up to the point of near tear, but is not completely torn.

• Symptoms: The inflammatory signs include pain, joint instability, and minimal elevation in joint temperature.

Complete Tears: It is a complete ligament injury and may need an operation.

• Symptoms: Intense pain, detailed on: joint deformity; difficulty in employing the limb; edema; and instability of the joint.
• Causes: Sports activities, injuries that happened due to falls or any twisting motion.

Signs and Symptoms

The universal sign of spinal injuries in sports is pain. Depending on the extent of the trauma, one may suffer injuries that affect the spinal nerves by causing inflammation, or loses muscle control and may not feel anything. It may lead to paralysis, reduced movement, rigidity, and hence immobility. The signs and symptoms that showed spinal injuries in athletes are;

• Pain in the back area or pressure, but if a person tries to sit more firmly, then stiffness is also observed.
• Sensations such as pricking or tingling, or a total loss of feeling in the hands and/or feet.
• Changes in sexual function.
• Hypertonia or hilarity.
• Incoordination and weakness.
• Trouble with Full Palmar Contact Without being able to walk or maintain balance, we cannot depend entirely on gestures and therefore simple touch must be a priority.
• Chest pain and problems with breathing after an injury.
• Pain in any part of the neck or back, especially any bending or twisting is not normal.
• Loss of movement.
• Bowel or bladder loose movements, crying or screaming.
• Reduced sensation including loss of sensation or altered sensation including sensation to heat or cold.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will review your symptoms and then carry out a physical evaluation of your extremities, movement, strength, and sensation. To gain more in-depth information concerning the diagnosis of spinal injuries in sports due to trauma other tests like X-rays, CT, and MRI scans may be conducted.

Treatment

Spine treatment injuries in athletes depend on the site and severity of the damage that the injury has on spinal nerves and other structures. Some of the common treatment options include:

• Resting to avoid movements that can exert pressure on the spine and the use of tools such as the neck collar, and special bed concerning spine retrievement.
• The spinal injuries in sports and their related pain and stiffness can be managed by medications.
• For severe pain, an injection near the spinal cord can provide relief. This is often used to ease pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves due to a herniated disc or spinal narrowing (spinal stenosis).
• Surgery may be opted in cases such as fractured vertebrae or disc herniation.
• Physiotherapists suggest physical exercises that might include muscle exercises, massage, balance exercises, coordination, or how to do activities of daily living in limited ways.

Prevention Strategies

The cautions/ approaches involved in preventing spine injuries in athletes are;

• Lumbar support will strengthen training exercises meant to condition a spine appropriately.
• Special works such as the flexibility exercises and applicable stretching techniques to included in pre and post-workout workouts.
• The other ways in which body mechanics are advocated for in the prevention of injuries include promoting correct body alignment and movement during different sporting activities with more focus on safe methods of landing and lifting.
• Wearing appropriate protective gear like; neck, head, or elbow pads, especially in sportive acts like wrestling, boxing, etc.
• Also, the use of a high level of periodization to provide sufficient rest and recovery for tissues.

Request Your Appointment Today

For the treatment of spinal cord injuries in sports, athletes can rely on the Croydon Sports Injury and Spinal Clinic. They have modern facilities and achieve results with professionals who work with injured athletes to give them the physical strength needed to return to the field. Their experience does guarantee that each patient is treated through diagnosis, treatment, and final recovery.

Spine injuries may lead to considerable impairment of the athletic ability, general health status, and future quality of life of an athlete. Creating awareness of typical types, causes, symptoms, and treatment of spine injuries goes a long way in helping athletes and sports medicine personnel to seek treatment and advice in preventing spine injuries, ensuring that athletes achieve their performances while adhering to medical advice concerning their spine. 

Do you feel spine pain or discomfort and you are an athlete? Then it is high time you booked an appointment with MSpine right now! This involves the health of your spine and none is more critical to your wellbeing as an athlete than your spine.