Abstract

Background: As surfing gains adherents, the injuries derived from its practice become more frequent, one of which is the so-called surfer's myelopathy.
Case presentation: We present the case of a patient with an abrupt onset of mild back-lumbar pain, followed by paresthesia and motor involvement of both lower limbs as well as sphincter disturbance in the context of the immediate practice of an aquatic sport. Thoracic spinal cord MRI showed T2 hyperintensities in the central part of the spinal cord between T8-T12. Surfer’s myelopathy is a nontraumatic spinal cord injury, of vascular etiology, caused by the prolonged hyperextension of the spine.
Conclusion: The importance of this work lies in being one of the few in Peru addressing this pathology and the need of awareness for taking preventive measures by young athletes.

Key words: Surfer’s myelopathy, spinal cord, hyperextension, case report.