Abstract
Study design
An analysis of reported cases.
Objectives
To analyze the existing data on soccer (international football)-related spinal cord injury (SCI).
Setting
Cases of soccer (international football)-related SCI that were reported globally.
Methods
PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and online news publication databases were searched.
Results
Fourteen cases of football-related SCI that occurred between 1976 and 2020 were found. Average age at the time of injury was 19 and 86% of individuals were males. Eight of 14 individuals had vertebral fracture/dislocation, whereas two individuals had concomitant traumatic brain injury. Neurologically, 54% had tetraplegia, 39% had paraplegia, and 8% each suffered from hemiplegia and sensory deficit. Two cases could regain ability to walk with orthosis and four had full mobility with “Return to Play” (RTP). The mortality was 14%.
Conclusions
Younger males were most commonly affected. The most common etiology, vertebral level of injury, and neurological manifestation was fall, cervical spine, and tetraplegia respectively. More than 50% of the individuals with football-related SCI were able to walk or RTP after rehabilitation. Further studies are required to establish universal RTP criteria and formulate preventive measures.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
References
International Perspectives on Spinal Cord Injury. World Health Organization and The International Spinal Cord Society. 2013. https://www.iscos.org.uk/sitefiles/WHO%20international%20perspectives%20on%20SCI.pdf.
National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, Facts and Figures at a Glance. Birmingham, AL: University of Alabama at Birmingham; 2020. https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/Public/Facts%20and%20Figures%202020.pdf.
Parent S, Mac-Thiong JM, Roy-Beaudry M, Sosa JF, Labelle H. Spinal cord injury in the pediatric population: a systematic review of the literature. J Neurotrauma. 2011;28:1515–24.
Katoh S, Shingu H, Ikata T, Iwatsubo E. Sports-related spinal cord injury in Japan (from the nationwide spinal cord injury registry between 1990 and 1992). Spinal Cord. 1996;34:416–21.
Chan CW, Eng JJ, Tator CH, Krassioukov A. Spinal Cord Injury Research Evidence Team. Epidemiology of sport-related spinal cord injuries: a systematic review. J Spinal Cord Med. 2016;39:255–64.
Boran S, Lenehan B, Street J, McCormack D, Poynton A. A 10-year review of sports-related spinal injuries. Ir J Med Sci. 2011;180:859–63.
Ye C, Sun T, Li J, Zhang F. Pattern of sports- and recreation-related spinal cord injuries in Beijing. Spinal Cord. 2009;47:857–60.
Paiva WS, Oliveira AM, Andrade AF, Amorim RL, Lourenço LJ, Teixeira MJ. Spinal cord injury and its association with blunt head trauma. Int J Gen Med. 2011;4:613–5.
Kristen KL, Yau RK, Register-Mihalik J, Marshall SW, Thomas LC, Wolf S, et al. Traumatic brain and spinal cord fatalities among high school and college football players—United States, 2005–14. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;65:1465–9.
Indian footballer dies after goal celebration ends in tragedy. Goal.com. 2014. https://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia/2014/10/20/5295341/indian-footballer-dies-after-goal-celebration-ends-in.
Famous Career-Ending Sports Injuries. Healthgrades.com. 2018. https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/sports-medicine/famous-career-ending-sports-injuries.
Nagoshi N, Tetreault L, Nakashima H, Nouri A, Fehlings MG. Return to play in athletes with spinal cord concussion: a systematic literature review. Spine J. 2017;17:291–302.
Cirak B, Ziegfeld S, Knight VM, Chang D, Avellino AM, Paidas CN. Spinal injuries in children. J Pediatr Surg. 2004;39:607–12.
Big Count. FIFA. 2007. https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/bcoffsurv/emaga_9384_10704.pdf.
Lee BB, Cripps RA, Fitzharris M, Wing PC. The global map for traumatic spinal cord injury epidemiology: update 2011, global incidence rate. Spinal Cord. 2014;52:110–6.
Deaner RO, Smith BA. Sex differences in sports across 50 societies. Cross Cult Res. 2013;47:268–309.
Wilson JB, Zarzour R, Moorman CT 3rd. Spinal injuries in contact sports. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2006;5:50–5.
Bailes JE, Petschauer M, Guskiewicz KM, Marano G. Management of cervical spine injuries in athletes. J Athl Train. 2007;42:126–34.
Pfirrmann D, Herbst M, Ingelfinger P, Simon P, Tug S. Analysis of injury incidences in male professional adult and elite youth soccer players: a systematic review. J Athl Train. 2016;51:410–24.
Szwedowski D, Walecki J. Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA)—clinical and radiological aspects. Pol J Radiol. 2014;79:461–4.
El Masri YWS. Traumatic spinal injury and spinal cord injury: point for active physiological conservative management as compared to surgical management. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2018;4:14.
Mourelo Fariña M, Salvador de la Barrera S, Montoto Marqués A, Ferreiro Velasco ME, Galeiras, Vázquez R. Update on traumatic acute spinal cord injury. Part 2. Med Intensiva. 2017;41:306–15.
Sabharwal S, Wierbicky J, Nesathurai S. Spinal cord injury: cervival, thoracic and lumbosacral. In: Frontera W, Silver J, Rizzo T editors. Essentials of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2nd edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2008. p. 859–85.
Hanson CS, Nabavi D, Yuen HK. The effect of sports on level of community integration as reported by persons with spinal cord injury. Am J Occup Ther. 2001;55:332–8.
Huang P, Anissipour A, McGee W, Lemak L. Return-to-play recommendations after cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine injuries: a comprehensive review. Sports Health. 2015;8:19–25.
Bellon K, Kolakowsky-Hayner SA, Chen D, McDowell S, Bitterman B, Klaas SJ. Evidence-based practice in primary prevention of spinal cord injury. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2013;19:25–30.
Scoppetta C, Vaccario M. Cervical central cord syndrome after heading a football. Lancet. 1978;311:1269.
Soccer Goal Deaths and Injuries 1979–2017. Anchored for safety. 2017. http://anchoredforsafety.org/incidents.html.
Ex-Trinidad player Lee dies at 21. LA Times. 2003. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-11-sp-soccer11-story.html.
Silva P, Vaidyanathan S, Kumar BN, Soni BM, Sett P. Two case reports of cervical spinal cord injury in football (soccer) players. Spinal Cord. 2005;44:383–5.
SCI Superstar: Mackenzie Saunders. Spinalpedia.com. 2019. https://spinalpedia.com/blog/2019/06/mackenzie-saunders.
Durango girl healing from serious spinal injury. Durango Herald. 2009. https://durangoherald.com/articles/3529.
Ojo OA, Kaye AH. An unusual cause of spinal cord compression. Images Neurosci. 2010;17:86.
Kato Y, Koga M, Taguchi T. Chronic spinal cord injury in the cervical spine of a young soccer player. Orthopedics. 2010;33:357.
Diabira S, Morandi X. Post-traumatic herniated cervical disk. N Engl J Med. 2012;366:462.
Indian footballer dies from fall after back-flip goal celebration. ESPN.com. 2014. https://www.espn.com/soccer/league-name/story/2098397/headline.
African Confederation Cup: Player recovering after spinal injuries. ESPN.co.uk. 2015. https://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog-football-africa/story/2539482/african-confederation-cup-player-suffers-spinal-injuries.
Soccer player, 14, recovering from spinal stroke. Chicago Tribune. 2015. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sdut-teen-recovering-from-spinal-stroke-at-soccer-game-2015jul29-story.html.
Dünner C, Hackenberg A, Wille D, Cannizzaro V. Cervical spinal ischemia after minor head trauma. Swiss Medical Weekly. 2017;147:30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Poudel, M.K., Sherman, A.L. Football (soccer)-related spinal cord injury—reported cases from 1976 to 2020. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 6, 106 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-020-00360-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-020-00360-8
