Management of neck pain in military athletes

Introduction: Cervicalgia is a professional and sporting handicap for military personnel, particularly athletes, and a real public health problem. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of 35 military athletes.Results: The mean age of the athletes was 34.2 7.7 years. The mean duration of neck pain was 40 30 months. Imaging revealed abnormalities in 29 athletes. 45.71% of patients underwent rehabilitation for a mean duration of 4.07 3.57 months. 3 patients underwent surgery. Discontinuation of sport was definitive in 4 athletes.We found a highly significant correlation between the duration of sporting activity and the duration of neck pain (P = 0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed a correlation between the duration of sporting activity and the duration of neck pain, with an influence on the duration of rest. Analysis of a larger population than that of Tunisian military athletes of different specialties should provide more precise information on the influence of this pathology.