Ways of Prevention and Rehabilitation from Spinal Injuries in Contact and Non-Contact Sports

The purpose of this research is to describe the most common ways of prevention and rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries within college athletes. Spinal injuries are one of the most common health issues in the athletic world. Approximately 8.7% of all spinal cord injuries are caused by sport-related activities. These types of back-related injuries can be either traumatic or non-traumatic. The main sports that experience the most traumatic injuries are American football, hockey, wrestling, snowboarding, and skiing. The most non-traumatic sports include gymnastics, swimming, golf, and tennis. The main examples of serious back injuries are fractures, disk hernias, and acute cervical sprains. There are multiple ways of prevention. The most effective ones are informing people about the importance of their spinal health and exercising, in combination with some therapy. One of the most common causes of non-traumatic spinal injuries is completing physical activities using incorrect or poor technique. Informing is the best solution for any type of health problem. Another common cause of spinal injuries is overloading. Athletes who perform rotational types of sports frequently have to deal with spinal injuries due to the lack of muscular support and increased pressure on their spines. Exercising helps stabilize the spine and build extra muscles to support vertebrae. Certain types of therapy, such as massage, acupuncture, swimming, and stretching are proven to be beneficial for muscular relaxation and pain relief. The main idea of this review of literature is how to keep the spine strong and healthy and how to avoid back injuries as an athlete