Citation

Esser SM, Baima J, Hirschberg R. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 2013; 12(1): 7-10.

Affiliation

1Department of Sports Medicine Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL; and 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1249/JSR.0b013e31827dc1e1

PMID

23314076

Abstract

Participation in extreme sports has increased over the last 25 years. Although spinal cord injury may be sustained during extreme and traditional sports alike, the associated risk, location, and severity of injury varies by sport. We describe the case of a 31-year-old man who sustained an L1 burst fracture while landing his inaugural skydiving jump. He developed a mixed pattern of neurologic injury with relative preservation of lower extremity strength and impaired bowel and bladder function. Sports medicine providers should be aware of the risks associated with air sports/extreme sports participation. Such awareness may help prevent injury and enhance the management of associated complications.

Language: en