title: Acute Schmorl's Node during Strenuous Monofin Swimming: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
abstract: Study Design This case report describes an acute Schmorl's node (SN) in an elite monofin athlete during exercise. The patient presented with severe back pain and leg numbness and was managed successfully with conservative treatment. Objective The aim of our communication was to describe a rare presentation of a common pathological condition during an intense sport. Background Swimming is not generally considered to be a sport activity that leads to spinal injuries. SNs are usually asymptomatic lesions, incidentally found on imaging studies. There is no correlation between swimming and symptomatic SN formation. Case Report A 16-year-old monofin elite athlete suffered from an acute nonradiating back pain during extreme exercise. His back pain was associated with a fracture of the superior L5 end plate and an acute SN at the L5 vertebral body with perilesional bone marrow edema. The pain resolved with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and bed rest. The athlete had an excellent outcome and returned to his training activities 6 months after his incident. Conclusion SN should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe back pain, especially in sport-related injuries. SNs present with characteristic imaging findings. Due to the benign nature of these lesions, surveillance-only management may be the best course of action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Paterakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Alexandros G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Brotis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Efthimios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dardiotis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Hadjigeorgiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Theofilos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karachalios
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Kostas N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Fountas
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, University Hospital of Heraklion, Medical School of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karantanas
keywords: MR imaging/diagnosis; acute Schmorl's node/giant; conservative treatment; monofin swimming