Acute traumatic lesions of the spine at the third and fourth cervical
levels without associated fracture are not common. The eight lesions in
this report occurred as a result of injuries sustained during tackle
football. They included acute intervertebral disc herniation, anterior
subluxation of the third cervical vertebra on the fourth, unilateral
dislocation of the joint between the articular processes, and bilateral
dislocation of the joints between the articular processes. The mechanism of
injury was the use of the top or crown of the helmet as the primary point
of contact in a high-impact collision when blocking, tackling, or
head-butting. To avoid a seemingly inevitable increase in the incidence of
these lesions occurring from tackle football, coaches and officials will
have to modify the current techniques of blocking tackling, and
head-butting.