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The Growing Spine and Sports

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The Growing Spine

Abstract

Participation in recreational and competitive sports continues to increase among children and adolescents. Predictably, there is an increase in the corresponding incidence of musculoskeletal injuries, including injuries to the spine. Injuries to the immature spine are frequent in sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, weightlifting, and football. These injuries can result in significant morbidity and loss of play time. This chapter reviews specific injuries to the immature spine occurring during sports. These injuries will be discussed in the context of back pain as this is a common manifestation of spinal injuries in this population. Injuries to the cervical spine occurring during sports will also be reviewed briefly as these injuries may result in catastrophic consequences.

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Correspondence to John M. Flynn .

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Flynn, J.M., Ughwanogho, E., Cameron, D.B. (2011). The Growing Spine and Sports. In: Akbarnia, B.A., Yazici, M., Thompson, G.H. (eds) The Growing Spine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85207-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85207-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-85206-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-85207-0

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