Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Nov 24;30(1):50.
doi: 10.1186/s12998-022-00458-w.

The association between contact sport exposure and cervical sensorimotor dysfunction: a scoping review of implications for future musculoskeletal injury risk

Kelly Cheever  1 , Jeffery King  2 , Keisuke Kawata  3   4
Affiliations

The association between contact sport exposure and cervical sensorimotor dysfunction: a scoping review of implications for future musculoskeletal injury risk

Kelly Cheever et al. Chiropr Man Therap. .

Abstract

Background: While morphological changes to the cervical spine have been observed for over 40 years in response to contact sport participation, little is known about the secondary effects of the cervical impairment on future musculoskeletal injury and disability.

Objectives and design: A scoping review was performed to discuss the relationship between contact sport participation and morphological changes to the cervical spine. Moreover, the correlation between morphological changes in the musculoskeletal structures of the cervical spine and resultant deficits in cervical sensorimotor and neuromotor function are discussed. Lastly, how alterations in cervical sensorimotor function may affect overall risk of musculoskeletal injury is discussed.

Methods: The scientific literature was searched in PubMed, Sport Discus, and Web of Science pertaining to contact-sport athletes and/or cervical pathology and the cervicocephalic network. The Asksey and O'Malley's framework and PRISMA for Scoping Reviews were used to conduct and report the following review. Included articles were grouped into three categories: (1) Morphological changes to the cervical spine in contact sport athletes. (2) The role of the neuromotor pathways of the cervical spine in maintenance of postural tone and coordination of the extremities. (3) The correlation between altered cervical sensorimotor function and a resultant increase in musculoskeletal injury risk.

Results: Our search identified 566 documents, of which 405 underwent full-text screening, resulting in 54 eligible studies for the review. Widespread cervical sensorimotor dysfunction was observed in contact sport athletes. Independently, cervical sensorimotor function was demonstrated to play a critical role in postural control and limb coordination. However, limited research exists exploring the interaction between contact sport participation and altered cervical sensorimotor function, as well as an associated increase in musculoskeletal injury risk.

Conclusions: Limited evidence exists linking cervical injury and/or observed deficits in cervical sensorimotor and neuromotor function to musculoskeletal injury risk. Longitudinal studies combining imaging measures (e.g., MRI, DEXA), cervical functional test, and prospective injury risk are needed to further explore the correlation between resultant cervical sensorimotor deficits following contact sport impacts and future musculoskeletal injury risk.

Keywords: Cervical spine; Contact sport; Musculoskeletal injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Scoping review flow chart
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Included studies by year of publication
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Taxonomy of research designs for included literature
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Mapping of potential implications for altered cervical afferent input
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bailes JE. Management of cervical spine sports injuries. Athl Train. 1990;25(2):156–159. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Legault EP, Descarreaux M, Cantin V. Musculoskeletal symptoms in an adolescent athlete population: a comparative study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;16(210):1–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sortland O, Tysvaer AT, Storli OV. Changes in the cervical spine in association football players. Br J Sports Med. 1982;16(2):80–84. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.16.2.80. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Torg JS, Ramsey-Emrhein JA. Suggested management guidelines for participation in collision activities with congenital, developmental, or postinjury lesions involving the cervical spine. Med Sci Sports Exer. 1997;29(7 Suppl):S256–s272. - PubMed
    1. Panjabi MM, Cholewicki J, Nibu K, Grauer J, Babat LB, Dvorak J. Critical load of the human cervical spine: an in vitro experimental study. Clin Biomech. 1998;13(1):11–17. doi: 10.1016/S0268-0033(97)00057-0. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types