Shallow-Water Spinal Injuries--Devastating But Preventable (Original Articles) (Report‪)‬

Shallow-water diving injuries are endemic in South Africa. They have catastrophic neurological sequelae in the younger population, at tremendous personal cost and a burden to society, medical service providers and social support structures. The management requires intensive resources in the acute and rehabilitation phases. Diving-related cervical injuries, often leading to quadriplegia and death, constitute a subgroup of cervical spine injuries. We studied diving-related cervical spine injuries with the aim of identifying a specific South African target group for whom to implement a prevention programme. Materials and methods