Cervical arthroplasty in a professional kick-boxing fighter, 7 years follow-up.

Publication Type	Case Report
Authors	Lindi-Sugino R, Hartl R, Klezl Z
Journal	Acta Ortop Mex
Volume	35
Issue	3
Pagination	282-285
Date Published	01/01/2021
ISSN	2306-4102
Keywords	Boxing, Sports
Abstract	Spinal surgery in professional athletes is a topic of much discussion. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is the standard procedure used by surgeons, and other techniques used to treat athletes includes foraminotomies, laminoplasties and total disc replacement. Total disc replacement is an unusual technique used to treat athletes in general and is becoming a more important issue in full contact sports. This case report illustrates a 34 years old professional fighter that suffered a cervical injury that evolved with cervical axial pain and irradiated pain and numbness. She was submitted to total disc replacement (TDR) at the C5-6 level, returning to competitive sports after and with a seven-year follow-up. To the date she remains symptom free and besides having an anterior foramen, the spine was able to keep movement at that level. TDR may be a safe and trustworthy technique when treating elite athletes.
PubMed ID	34921539