Transient quadriplegia and return-to-play criteria.

There will always be an inherent risk to participation in contact sports. Appropriate education of coaches, players, and parents is important. Recurrence rate is high in the athlete who has experienced transient quadriplegia or any neck injury. The athlete and his family should be made aware of this risk. Counseling is even more important, both from a medical and legal standpoint, in the patient with underlying spinal stenosis, found either incidentally or following an episode of transient quadriplegia. In these situations, consideration of consultation with a neurologist or neurosurgeon is prudent.