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Spinal injury - Overview

Alternative Names

Neck injury

Definition of Spinal injury:

Your spinal cord contains the nerves that carry messages between your brain and body. The cord passes through your neck and back. A spinal cord injury is very serious because it can cause paralysis below the site of the injury.

Considerations:

When someone has a spinal injury, additional movement may cause further damage to the nerves in the cord and can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

If you think someone could possibly have a spinal injury, DO NOT move the injured person even a little bit, unless it is absolutely necessary (like getting someone out of a burning car).

If you are in doubt about whether a person has a spinal injury, assume that he or she DOES have one.

Causes:

Bullet or stab wound
Direct trauma to the face, neck, head, or back (e.g., car accidents)
Diving accident
Electric shock
Extreme twisting of the trunk
Sports injury (landing on head)
Major blow to the head or chest, car accident, fall from a great height

Skeletal spine

Vertebra, cervical (neck)

Vertebra, lumbar (low back)

Vertebra, thoracic (mid back)

Vertebral column

Central nervous system

Spinal cord injury

Spinal anatomy

Two person roll - series

Reviewed last on: 7/25/2007
Andrew L. Chen, M.D., M.S., Orthopedist, The Alpine Clinic, Littleton, NH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002.

Townsend, Jr., CM, ed. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 17th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2004:498-502,1952.

DeLee JC, Drez, Jr., D, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2003:798,837.

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