Ask the Experts: Diagnosis and Management of Spine-Related Injuries in Athletes - Podcast 16

In episode 16, our experts covered your questions on:

• What constitutes an appropriate acute spine injury on-field assessment?
• When is it necessary to immobilize the neck and transfer with a backboard?
• How do you diagnose and treat lumbar spondylitic injuries?
• What is an effective return-to-play protocol for spine injuries?
• Where are potential opportunities to prevent spine injuries in athletics?

Your expert panel for this October 15, 2025 webinar included:

• Stanley A. Herring, MD, a clinical professor in the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine, Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, and Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington; 
• Scott Laker, MD, a clinical professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; and 
• Michael Furman, MD, MS, Ask the Experts moderator and Fellowship Director at OSS Health, who serves on the IPSIS Education Division, and as Co-Chair of the Education Development Committee.

Besides this podcast, a video download is also available here.

Episode 16 Show Notes: These are the abstracts referenced by our experts.  

• Consensus Recommendations on the Prehospital Care of the Injured Athlete With a Suspected Catastrophic Cervical Spine Injury
• Best Practices and Current Care Concepts in Prehospital Care of the Spine-Injured Athlete in American Tackle Football March 2-3, 2019; Atlanta, GA
• Prehospital Trauma Compendium: Prehospital Management of Spinal Cord Injuries - A NAEMSP Comprehensive Review and Analysis of the Literature
• Expert opinion and controversies in sports and musculoskeletal medicine: the diagnosis and treatment of spondylolysis in adolescent athletes
• Team Physician Consensus Statement: Return to Sport/Return to Play and the Team Physician: A Team Physician Consensus Statement-2023 Update

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