A medical backboard comprising a front board, a rear board, and one or more polypropylene honeycomb inserts situated between the front and rear board. The front board comprises a head recess, a torso recess, and a foot/heel recess for the insertion of gel pads. The front board comprises a plurality of lateral and longitudinal channels and ridges that increase the strength of the board and decrease the overall weight of the board. The rear board comprises lateral ridges in the neck and ankle areas that increase the strength of the board, and it also comprises a head recess, torso recess and/foot/heel recess that create a ground-contacting surface when the board is placed on the ground.