ABSTRACT
Cervical and/or lumbar acute and/or chronic spinal injuries in soccer are more common than expected. Brooks and Fuller (2006) reported 12.3 per cent head and neck injuries during football training and at matches. Delaney and Al-Kashmiri (2005) presented high rates of neck injuries in the United States for soccer and American football players presenting to emergency departments from 1990 to 1999. The cumulative number of neck fractures and dislocations, and total neck contusions, sprains and strains during this time period were 214 and 17,927, respectively (Delaney and Al-Kashmiri, 2005). Total neck injury and fracture/ dislocation rates in soccer when compared to American football were 17 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively. Rates of fractures/dislocations, and contusions, sprains and strains presenting to emergency departments in the United States from 1993 to 1999 for every 10,000 participants ranged from 0 to 0.064 and from 1.14 to 2.31, respectively.
