Cervical fracture
| Cervical fracture | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A fracture of the base of the dens (a part of C2) as seen on CT. | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | emergency medicine |
| ICD-10 | S12 |
| ICD-9-CM | 805.0 |
| DiseasesDB | 2322 |
| MedlinePlus | 000029 |
| eMedicine | emerg/189 |
A cervical fracture, commonly called a broken neck, is a catastrophic fracture of any of the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck. Examples of common causes in humans are traffic collisions and diving into shallow water. Abnormal movement of neck bones or pieces of bone can cause a spinal cord injury resulting in loss of sensation, paralysis, or death.
Considerable force is needed to cause a cervical fracture. Vehicle collisions and falls are common causes. A severe, sudden twist to the neck or a severe blow to the head or neck area can cause a cervical fracture.
Sports that involve violent physical contact carry a risk of cervical fracture, including American football, Goalkeeper (association football), ice hockey, rugby, and wrestling. Spearing an opponent in football or rugby, for instance, can cause a broken neck. Cervical fractures may also be seen in some non-contact sports, such as gymnastics, skiing, diving, surfing, powerlifting, equestrianism, mountain biking, and motor racing (as in Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve's death from a cervical fracture).
Certain penetrating neck injuries can also cause cervical fracture which can also cause internal bleeding among other complications.
Hanging also incurs a cervical fracture.
Severe pain will usually be present at the point of injury. Pressure on a nerve may also cause pain from the neck down the shoulders and/or arms. Bruising and swelling may be present at the back of the neck. A neurological exam will be performed to assess for spinal cord injury. X-rays will be ordered to determine the severity and location of the fracture. CT (computed tomography) scans may be ordered to assess for gross abnormalities not visible by regular X-ray. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) tests may be ordered to provide high resolution images of soft tissue and determine whether there has been damage to the spinal cord, although such damage is usually obvious in the conscious patient because of the immediate functional consequences of numbness and paralysis in much of the body.
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