Age-Related Changes in the Cervical Spines of Front-Line Rugby Players

Cervical spine trauma occurs frequently in front-line rugby players. To evaluate the accumulative effects of this trauma, magnetic resonance imaging scans of the cervical spine were performed on 47 rugby players and 40 age-matched control subjects. The aim of this study was to compare the changes in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of sports medicine 1999-07, Vol.27 (4), p.422-429
Main Authors: Berge, Jérôme, Marque, Bertrand, Vital, Jean-Marc, Sénégas, Jacques, Caillé, Jean-Marie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormalities
Adult
Age Factors
Aging
Aging (Biology)
Athletes
Biological and medical sciences
Cervical Vertebrae - pathology
Cumulative Trauma Disorders - pathology
Football - injuries
Humans
Hypertrophy
Injuries of the limb. Injuries of the spine
Intervertebral Disc Displacement - etiology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Physiological aspects
Rugby
Rugby football players
Spine
Sports medicine
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
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Summary:Cervical spine trauma occurs frequently in front-line rugby players. To evaluate the accumulative effects of this trauma, magnetic resonance imaging scans of the cervical spine were performed on 47 rugby players and 40 age-matched control subjects. The aim of this study was to compare the changes in the cervical spine of players at different points in their careers. A study of cervical spine changes, including spinal curve, spinal constituents, posttraumatic deformities, and degenerative modifications, was completed by a study of cervical measurements. Front-line rugby players showed more early degenerative alterations on magnetic resonance imaging scans than did the control subjects of the same age. These changes correlated with age and were probably linked with repetitive cervical trauma throughout the players’ careers. Particular attention should be paid to the data confirming cervical spine canal stenosis in front-line players, which may place these athletes at risk for acute neurapraxia while playing this collision sport.
ISSN:0363-5465
1552-3365
DOI:10.1177/03635465990270040401