Management of thoracic spinal cord injury in a professional American football athlete: illustrative case.

Background: A case of catastrophic thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) sustained by a professional American football player with severe scoliosis is presented.

Observations: A 25-year-old professional football player sustained an axial loading injury while tackling. Examination revealed a T8 American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade A complete SCI.

If You're Not Measuring, You're Guessing: The Advent of Objective Concussion Assessments.

Sport-related concussion remains one of the most complex injuries presented to sports medicine professionals. Although the injury has been recognized since ancient times, the concussion-assessment process has seen significant advances over the last 30 years. This review outlines the addition of objective measures to the clinical evaluation of the concussed athlete, beginning in the 1980s and continuing through the modern age.

Significance of T2 Hyperintensity on Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Cervical Cord Injury and Return to Play in Professional Athletes.

Background: Cervical cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 hyperintensity is used as evidence of cord trauma in the evaluation and management of athletes in contact sports. The long-term pathophysiologic and prognostic value of this finding is poorly understood, especially in return to play (RTP).

Objective: To examine the significance of T2 hyperintensity in the cervical spinal cord of professional athletes.

Vitamin D profile in National Football League players.

Background: By maintaining phosphate and calcium homeostasis, vitamin D is critical for bone health and possibly physical performance. Hence, vitamin D is important to athletes. Few studies have investigated vitamin D levels in relation to fractures and performance in athletes, and no published study has included a multiracial sample of professional American football players.

Outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in professional athletes.

Background: Significant controversy exists regarding when an athlete may return to contact sports after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Return-to-play (RTP) recommendations are complicated due to a mix of medical factors, social pressures, and limited outcome data.

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize our diagnostic and surgical criteria, intervention, postoperative imaging results, and rehabilitation and report RTP decisions and outcomes for professional athletes with cervical spine injuries.

Incidence and variance of foot and ankle injuries in elite college football players.

We conducted a study on the risk for foot and ankle injuries in college football players on the basis of injury type and player position. In February 2006, we evaluated 320 intercollegiate football players at the National Football League Combine. All pathologic conditions and surgical procedures of the foot and ankle were recorded, and data were analyzed by player position to detect any trends.

Evaluation of lipid profiles and the use of omega-3 essential Fatty Acid in professional football players.

Background: Recent research showed 82% of 233 retired National Football League players under age 50 had abnormal narrowing and blockages in arteries compared to the general population of the same age. It has been suggested that early screening and intervention in this at-risk population be a priority.

Hypothesis: Omega-3 essential fatty acid has been shown to improve cardiovascular lipid risk factors and should improve lipid profiles in professional football players to help reduce their recently shown accelerated risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Incidence and variance of knee injuries in elite college football players.

Knee injuries are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries in US football players. The literature includes little information about the role of player position and risk for knee injury. We hypothesized that the incidence of knee injury in elite collegiate US football players is high and that type of injury varies by player position.

Cervical neurapraxia in elite athletes: evaluation and surgical treatment. Report of five cases.

Object: Neurapraxia, transient posttraumatic paralysis of the motor and/or sensory tracts in the spinal cord, may be a career-ending event in an athlete. Management, rehabilitation, and return-to-play decisions remain controversial.

Methods: Five elite football players were evaluated after experiencing episodes of neurapraxia.

Measurement of symptoms following sports-related concussion: reliability and normative data for the post-concussion scale.

It is important to carefully evaluate self-reported symptoms in athletes with known or suspected concussions. This article presents data on the psychometric and clinical properties of a commonly used concussion symptom inventory-the Post-Concussion Scale. Normative and psychometric data are presented for large samples of young men (N = 1,391) and young women (N = 355).

Sideline and ringside evaluation for brain and spinal injuries.

Participation in contact and collision sports carries an inherent risk of injury to the athlete, with damage to the nervous system producing the most potential for significant morbidity and death. Neurological injuries suffered during athletic competition must be treated promptly and correctly to optimize outcome, and differentiation between minor and serious damage is the foundation of sideline/ringside management of the injury. In this article the authors present a guide to the sideline or ringside identification and management of head and spinal injuries.

Prevalence and variance of shoulder injuries in elite collegiate football players.

Background: Shoulder injuries are the fourth most common musculoskeletal injury encountered in American football players. There is little information in the literature on the role of playing position in the type of shoulder injuries seen.

Hypothesis: There is a high prevalence of shoulder injuries in elite collegiate American football players, with type of injury varying by playing position.

On-field predictors of neuropsychological and symptom deficit following sports-related concussion.

Objective: Investigate the relationship between on-field markers of concussion severity and postinjury neuropsychological and symptom presentation in an athlete-specific population.

Design: Case control study.

Setting: Multicenter analysis of high school and college athletes.