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Neurosurgical Management of Spinal Cord Injuries in Athletes

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Neurosurgical Care of Athletes

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Abstract

An estimated 38 million children and 170 million adults participate in organized sports each year in the United States. Organized sports provide a wide range of physical and mental health benefits and lower the risk of chronic, lifestyle-induced conditions like cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Participation in these activities inevitably leads to injuries. Trauma resulting in injury to the spine and spinal cord is a significant issue in many contact and noncontact sports. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a transient or permanent injury that affects sensory, motor, or autonomic function, leading to neurological impairment or disability. SCI involving axon damage is mostly irreversible due to the nonregenerating properties of the central nervous system (CNS). Proper neurosurgical care is critical in the acute management of these injuries to reduce or prevent long-term damage. In this review, we will address the acute neurosurgical management of spinal cord injuries.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper.

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The authors have not received any funding for this work from any organization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Kansas City University, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Frank A. De Stefano

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    William J. Steele III & Allan D. Levi

Authors
  1. Frank A. De Stefano
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  2. William J. Steele III
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  3. Allan D. Levi
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Correspondence to Allan D. Levi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Mark E. Oppenlander

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De Stefano, F.A., Steele, W.J., Levi, A.D. (2022). Neurosurgical Management of Spinal Cord Injuries in Athletes. In: Oppenlander, M.E. (eds) Neurosurgical Care of Athletes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88227-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88227-3_4

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