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The risk of sustaining a stinger, CCN, or a more serious catastrophic injury to the cervical spine increases with increasing stenosis. The RR of a player sustaining a second stinger or CCN increases exponentially when compared with the risk of a player sustaining an initial stinger or CCN. Intravenous steroids have no role in the management of stingers or CCN. Players who remain symptomatic after a stinger, players with persistently abnormal diagnostic studies after a stinger, and any player who experiences a CCN should be excluded from further participation in contact sports.

A total of 1,717 total hip and 2,769 total knee medical device reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1984 through 1993 were reviewed. A large percentage of total hip complications could be attributed to some aspect of component modularity. Cementless modular acetabular components were the single largest source of device-related complications. Fifty-six percent of total knee medical device reports (MDRs) were associated with accelerated polyethylene wear. By location, MDRs identified patellar (46%), tibial (33%), and femoral (5%) component complications. It was estimated that less than 5% of device-related complications were reported to the FDA. Based on the reports received, it was apparent that mechanical failure of components was a common and increasing cause of total joint revision.