Evaluation the association of facet tropism in multi-sports athletes with cervical disc hernia

BACKGROUND: Facet tropism (FT) can be defined as the angular difference between the orientation of the right and left facet joints in axial or sagittal planes. Most studies discuss about the relationship with lumbar disc hernia and facet joint angle. However, little is known about the association of facet tropism with disc herniation in the cervical spine in multisports athletes. In this study, We aimed to investigate the relationship between cervical facet tropism and disc hernia in athletes of different branches between the ages of 20–40 from the cervical MR images of the cases. METHODS: This is a retrospective study performed on athletes who applied our hospital between January 2014–2019 with neck pain and have MR imaging of the cervical spine. Cervical MR images of the patients were evaluated by an experienced radiologist from the hospital system database and archives. 79 cases (52 men and 27 women) were included in the study. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between the facet joint angles of both groups at all levels (p˃0.05). Only left C6-7 disc angles of CDH group were measured as 92.99° ± 10.77(0) (62(0)–113(0)) and 88.58° ± 7.65° (67°-110°) for the normal group and this difference was found statistically significant (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: In this study, we did not predict that cervical facet tropism may be a factor associated with cervical disc hernia in young athletes with CDH.