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Patients with cervical fractures will likely be prescribed medication for pain control. In the long term, physical therapy will be given to build strength in the muscles of the neck to increase stability and better protect the cervical spine. Collars, traction and surgery can be used to immobilize and stabilize the neck after a cervical fracture.
A demonstration of a common mechanism of a hangman's fracture in a car accident. The mechanism of the injury is forcible hyperextension of the head, usually with distraction of the neck. This commonly occurs during judicial hanging, when the noose was placed below the condemned subject's chin. When the subject was dropped, the head would be ...
MRI of a fractured and dislocated cervical vertebra (C4) in the neck that is compressing the spinal cord: Specialty: Neurosurgery: Types: Complete, incomplete [1] Diagnostic method: Based on symptoms, medical imaging [1] Treatment: Spinal motion restriction, intravenous fluids, vasopressors [1] Frequency: c. 12,000 annually in the United States [2]
The patient may be advised to wear a neck brace or collar (for up to 8 weeks) that serves to ensure proper spinal alignment. Wearing the brace heightens one's awareness of posture and positioning and helps prevent movements (e.g., sudden and/or excessive bending or twisting of the neck) that may aggravate or slow down the healing process.
A compression fracture is a collapse of a vertebra. It may be due to trauma or due to a weakening of the vertebra (compare with burst fracture ). This weakening is seen in patients with osteoporosis or osteogenesis imperfecta , lytic lesions from metastatic or primary tumors , [ 1 ] or infection. [ 2 ]
Causes can be bone fragments from a vertebral fracture, a tumor, abscess, ruptured intervertebral disc or other lesion. When acute it can cause a medical emergency independent of its cause, and require swift diagnosis and treatment to prevent long-term disability due to irreversible spinal cord injury.
Central cord syndrome (CCS) is the most common form of cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). It is characterized by loss of power and sensation in arms and hands. It usually results from trauma which causes damage to the neck, leading to major injury to the central corticospinal tract of the spinal cord. [1]
A burst fracture is a type of traumatic spinal injury in which a vertebra breaks from a high-energy axial load (e.g., traffic collisions or falls from a great height or high speed, and some kinds of seizures), with shards of vertebra penetrating surrounding tissues and sometimes the spinal canal. [1]