Return to Play for Athletes

Abstract

Sports-related activities are associated with a variety of spinal injuries. Spine surgeons must be able to determine an athlete's readiness to return to play. Most spine surgeons agree that an athlete should be neurologically intact, be pain free, be at full strength, and have full range of motion before returning to full, unrestricted athletic activity. Certain spine injuries such as stingers may allow for return to play nearly immediately; whereas, other clinical entities such as spear tackler's spine are considered absolute contraindications to return to play.

Keywords: Athlete; Cervical cord neurapraxia; Return to play; Sports-related trauma; Stinger.