Sports Medicine Seminars 2015: Spine Injuries in Sport

These seminars are designed for physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers and others who work with athletes. Content will consist of anatomy, mechanisms of injury, diagnostics and assessments, non-surgical and surgical interventions, rehabilitation treatment progression, injury prevention and return to play considerations.

Over 27 million children aged 6 to 18 years participated in organized athletics in 2013. An estimated 48% of young athletes complaining of low back pain were found to have occult spondylolysis. Overuse injuries to the spine are common in certain sports and may be due to the rising emphasis on early specialization in sport, frequent year-round competition, and increased pressure by parents and coaches to begin high-intensity training at young ages. Presenters will provide an overview of the anatomy, mechanism of injury and diagnostics for orthopedic spine injuries. This will be followed by a discussion of surgical and non-surgical interventions. The evening will conclude with a discussion on treatment considerations, including rehab progression, education, prevention of injury, predisposing factors to spine injury, and return to play criteria.