The Protective Role of Cervical Spinal Muscle Masses in Sports Related Trauma

Abstract

The cervical spine is an anatomically complex structure whose essential roles are to orient the head and the sensory system and to protect the spinal cord. In developed countries, sports related accidents constitute the fourth most common cause of spinal cord trauma. They are the second most frequent case of spinal cord injuries for those under the age of 30. All sports are potentially affected even though it would seem that highly kinetic physical activities or contact sports would be the most concerned. In this chapter, we will first review the anatomy of the cervical spine and then describe the biomechanical basis of the protective effect of the cervical musculature and the neurophysiological aspects of trauma prevention. We will describe how cervical muscles can be evaluated and close with a brief overview of preventative strategies of the French Rugby Federation will be described.