Spinal pain, while common in the general population,
is essentially universal in the athletic population.
Certain specific positions and activities of a given
sport inherently place athletes at a high risk for the development of low back or neck pain syndromes. As an example,
“stingers” occur more commonly in wrestlers, particularly
with the take-down maneuver, and as well in football players, especially for defensive backs and offensive linemen.
Although low back and neck pain syndromes can be trauma
related, this review will focus on the epidemiology, anatomy,
prehospital care, imaging, prevention, and rehabilitation of
the many types of cervical spine trauma commonly seen
in athletes (Table 1) and will not cover complex cervical
spine fractures.