7 types of lower c-spine injuries

Question 1

what c-spine injury accounts for 35% of injuries?

Answer 1

distractive flexion

Question 2

what c-spine injury accounts for 20% of injuries?

Answer 2

compressive flexion

Question 3

what c-spine injury accounts for 6% of injuries?

Answer 3

distraction extension

Question 4

what c-spine injury accounts for 25% of injuries?

Answer 4

compression extension

Question 5

what c-spine injury accounts for 10% of injuries?

Answer 5

axial compression

Question 6

what c-spine injury accounts for 3% of injuries?

Answer 6

lateral bending

Question 6

what kind of injury is a posterior ligament tear?

Answer 6

distractive flexion

Question 7

what kind of injury is an anterior fracture of the vertebral body?

Answer 7

compressive flexion

Question 8

what kind of injury is an anterior ligament tear?

Answer 8

distractive extension

Question 9

what kind of injury is an posterior fracture of the vertebral body-> pedicles, lateral masses, laminae?

Answer 9

compression extension

Question 10

what kind of injury is an isolated spinous process fracture c7 (or c6 or t1)?

Answer 10

clay shovlers fracture

Question 11

what is the mechanism of a clay shovlers fracture?

Answer 11

pull by shoulder muscles (Scapular rhomboid muscle) or direct impact to spinous process

Question 12

what is an axial compression injury?

Answer 12

vertebral body burst fracture

Question 13

what is a lateral bending injury?

Answer 13

an unciate process fracture; unilateral vertebral body or post elemental fracture

Question 14

what syndrome does a distractive extension fracture cause and why?

Answer 14

central cord syndrome d/t compression of spinal cord within spinal canal

Question 15

what are the 3 extension defining things of a distractive extension fracture?

Answer 15

hyperextension sprain
hyperextension teardrop
extension dislocation

Question 16

what are the 4 defining facts of a compressive extension fracture?

Answer 16

laminar fracture
pillar fracture
pedicolaminal fracture
hyperextension fx-dislocation

Question 17

what do pedicolaminal fractures of compression extension fractures result in?

Answer 17

result in separation of lateral masses from vertebrae. when injury is bilat, there may be anterolisthesis of vertebral body called hyperextension fracture dislocation