Special considerations must be brought into play when the physician is consulted about
when to allow an athlete to return to play following injury. This is especially true
for brain and spinal cord injury. Although it is generally best to be on the conservative
side, being too reticent about allowing any athlete to return may be very detrimental
to the athlete and/or the entire team. Therefore, it behooves the sports physician
to be circumspect with regard to not only the type of injury the athlete has suffered
but also the nature, duration, and the repetitive aspects of the trauma along with
the inherent strengths of any player. This article will provide the sports physician
with criteria for making sound decisions regarding return to competition after cervical
spine injury and ``functional'' cervical spinal stenosis.
Cervical spine stenosis - cervical spine injuries - neural injuries - stingers - transient
quadraplegia
