Common neck and spinal injuries

Rugby Union, Rugby League and American Football are all collision sports with injuries to the neck and spinal cord.

The neck injuries usually seen in Rugby Union, Rugby League and American Football are as follows.

  • Broken neck and back 

A broken neck is a severe fracture of any of the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck. Once the neck is broken pieces of bone or abnormal neck movement can cause damage to the spinal cord resulting in loss of feeling, paralysis or even death. If a broken neck is suspected then the injured player should not be moved as any movement of the neck could have severe effects on the spinal cord making a full recovery from the injury impossible and could leave the person paralysed. A broken back should be treated the same as a broken neck as it is basically the same type of injury but instead it involves the vertebrae from eighth to the twenty fourth of the spinal cord.  

 

  • Vertebrae dislocation
Cervical vertebrae dislocation is normally caused by a traumatic injury to the head or neck. Dislocation can be classed as either stable or unstable depending on the damage to the soft tissues surrounding the joint. In less severe cases with little or no damage to the surrounding tissues the vertebrae may repair itself making the injury difficult to classify. As with any spinal injury the worst case scenario is that the dislocation causes damage to the spinal cord. In this case quadriplegia or even fatality are outcomes that are possible.
 
  • Slipped disc in the back

The back is made up of 24 vertebrae which are stacked on top of each other. A slipped disc happens when one of these vertebrae in the back ruptures and the gel in between leaks out. This can often lead to back pain as well as pain in other parts of the body. The nerve which is often effected by a slipped disc is the sciatic nerve. Pressure been placed on the sciatic nerve may cause a lasting aching pain, numbness around the body, and a tingling in one or both legs.  

Number 3 on this image shows what happens to the gel when a player slips a disc

  • Whiplash

Whiplash is a word used to describe a neck injury where sudden movement of the head forwards, backwards or sideways causes ligaments and tendons in the neck to be damaged. Tendons are the fibrous bands that connect muscles to bones. Ligaments are the fibrous connective tissues that link two bones together at a joint.