DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2018.v06i09.028

Pages: 710-712

A 39-year-old man found himself unable to raise his bilateral upper extremities when he stood after trying to grab a flag stuck into the sand by jumping and extending his upper extremities while over-extending his neck. He was transported to our hospital. On arrival, his vital signs were stable. He had bilateral motor weakness at the upper extremities and hyperesthesia at the bilateral C5-C7 area. His lower extremities were intact and functioning. Cervical computed tomography revealed cervical spur formation, and urgent magnetic resonance imaging disclosed disc herniation at the C3/C4 level with mild compression of the spinal cord. He was put on bed rest with a cervical collar. On the second hospital day, his motor weakness and hyperesthesia improved, and he was able to stand and walk as usual. He was discharged on foot that day and referred to a local hospital near his home. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a spinal cord injury induced when playing Beach Flags. Underlying spinal canal stenosis and pinching effect by hyperextension of the neck during jumping and catching movements in this sport may cause cervical central spinal cord injury in rare cases.