Richards A, Pines A, Rubel NC, Mauler D, Farnsworth J, Zhang N, Patel NP, Lyons M, Neal M. Return to Golf, Tennis, and Swimming After Elective Cervical Spine Surgery.
Cureus 2020;
12:e9993. [PMID:
32983692 PMCID:
PMC7511073 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.9993]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
After surgery for degenerative cervical spine problems, most patients hope to return to non-competitive sports and other leisure activities. Limited data are available to counsel patients about return to play (RTP) in non-competitive sports after cervical surgery.
Methods
Participants had cervical surgery for degenerative diagnoses from April 1, 2007, to April 1, 2018. Demographic data were collected, and participants were asked to complete a survey regarding sports participation before and after cervical surgery.
Results
Of the 73 participants who responded to the study, the majority (81.1%) were able to return to one or multiple hobby sports after elective spine surgery. RTP rates at 12 months for golf, tennis, and swimming were 67.6%, 31.2%, and 81.6%, respectively. Younger age and lack of preoperative motor deficit were significant predictors of return to swimming after surgery. After surgery, 54.3% of golfers reported similar or improved levels of play.
Conclusions
After elective cervical spine surgery, the majority of hobby athletes can expect to return to athletics. The majority of golfers returned to play with similar or improved frequency and quality of play compared to preoperative levels. Future prospective studies will further elucidate factors predicting RTP after different types of elective cervical surgeries.
Collapse