title: Pediatric Surfer's Myelopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We present the case of the youngest known patient diagnosed with surfer's myelopathy. Surfer's myelopathy is a rare nontraumatic myelopathy. The most likely etiology, presumably, is arterial insufficiency related to spine hyperextension. Symptoms consist of back pain, urinary incontinence or retention, paraplegia, and sensory loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 7-year-old girl presented with back pain, urinary retention, and lower extremity weakness after doing backbends during a cheerleading practice the day prior to presentation. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: With the trend of children becoming increasingly active in competitive sports at a younger age, surfer's myelopathy is a diagnosis that should be considered when the symptoms are present and the history consists of hyperextending the back. As in our case, a seemingly benign trauma can lead to the diagnosis of surfer's myelopathy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Kosair Children's Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Shernaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wadia
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Kosair Children's Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Pradeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.affiliation: Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Kosair Children's Hospital, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Kosair Children's Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rominger
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013177:Sports; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000209:etiology
keywords: back injury; spinal cord injury; surfer's myelopathy