title: Thoracolumbar Chance fracture during a professional female soccer game: case report.
abstract: We report a rare case of an unstable flexion-distraction spine fracture with ligament involvement that occurred during a professional female soccer game. There were no neurological déficit. The patient had a painful midline gap which suggested ligamentar injury that was not immediately recognized. Despite that, proper immobilization and referral to hospital for further evaluation avoided additional spinal cord damage. The patient underwent a monosegmental posterior instrumentation spine fusion and after 6 months returned to professional soccer activities. This paper alerts to the possibility of occurrence of severe and unstable spine injuries during soccer practice and the importance of an adequate initial care at the game field in order to avoid iatrogenic neurological injuries.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alberto Ofenhejm
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Gotfryd
authors.affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Franzin
authors.affiliation: Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, New York, NY, United States.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hartl
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000534:rehabilitation; D055815:Young Adult