Summary of the National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement on the acute management of the cervical spine-injured athlete.

The incidence of catastrophic cervical spine injury in sports is low compared with other injuries. However, cervical spine injuries necessitate delicate and precise management, often involving the combined efforts of a variety of health care providers. The outcome of a catastrophic cervical spine injury depends on the efficiency of this management process and timeliness of transfer to a controlled environment for diagnosis and treatment.

National athletic trainers' association position statement: acute management of the cervical spine-injured athlete.

Objective: To provide certified athletic trainers, team physicians, emergency responders, and other health care professionals with recommendations on how to best manage a catastrophic cervical spine injury in the athlete.

Background: The relative incidence of catastrophic cervical spine injury in sports is low compared with other injuries. However, cervical spine injuries necessitate delicate and precise management, often involving the combined efforts of a variety of health care providers.

The influence of various factors on high school football helmet face mask removal: a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis.

Context: Most research on face mask removal has been performed on unused equipment.

Objective: To identify and compare factors that influence the condition of helmet components and their relationship to face mask removal.

Design: A cross-sectional, retrospective study.

Football equipment design affects face mask removal efficiency.

Background: Researchers have investigated the performance of face mask removal tools for spine injury management in football but not the effects of football equipment design.

Hypotheses: Various styles or designs of football helmet equipment (helmets, face masks, loop straps) affect face mask removal efficiency. A cordless screwdriver performs more efficiently than do cutting tools.

Face-Mask Removal: Movement and Time Associated With Cutting of the Loop Straps.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the amount of helmet movement, time for task completion, tool satisfaction, and overall efficiency for various face-mask removal tools during football helmet face-mask removal. DESIGN AND SETTING: Each subject performed one trial with the anvil pruner (AP), Face Mask Extractor (FME), PVC pipe cutter (PVC), and Trainer's Angel (TA). Each subject cut through 4 loop straps and removed the face mask while kneeling behind the athlete's head.