Horse–related spine and spinal cord injuries

Abstract

Horse-related athletic, recreational and professional activities is a worldwide widespread practice involving people of all ages. This kind of activity, due to the particular risks involved, is associated with a significant number of accidents and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Spine injuries (SI) and spinal cord injuries (SCI) are serious injuries that can have devastating consequences for the rider. In the present review, we examined their epidemiology, their characteristics in terms of the mechanism and type of injury, the neurological damage they cause and the injured region of the spine. The type of the therapeutic approach and its results were also analyzed. 19 papers that included 7.569 patients, 632 (8.3%) of whom suffered spine or spinal cord injuries, were analyzed. A total of 1.072 injuries were analyzed, 56 % of which concerned men and 44% women. The fall from a horse is considered to be the main mechanism that causes injuries associated with fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine. 58% of the patients with such injuries were hospitalized. There was a complete neurological damage in 31.8% of the patients, while in a significant proportion of 53.5% of the patients; quadriplegia was caused by the injury. Although conservative treatment in simple cases without neurological damage appears to be an effective therapeutic approach, in cases of unstable injuries and neurological impairment surgical treatment can be a method of choice with satisfactory results such as better mobilization and quality of life.