A cervical spine fracture is a fracture in the uppermost section of the spine. The individual parts of a vertebra can fracture when violent force is applied. The form of the fracture then depends on the force applied.
Changes in bone substance, such as osteoporosis or tumors, can also cause fractures of the cervical spine. Complications in a cervical spine fracture occur when the spinal cord running through the vertebral foramen (foramen vertebralis) is damaged. This can be followed by severe paraplegia.
The injury can also be fatal if nerves for basic body functions fail. Therapy can be conservative or surgical, depending on the type of fracture. Neurological injuries are treated surgically. Physiotherapeutic follow-up treatment follows.
Structure of the cervical spine
The cervical spine comprises 7 vertebrae. The first two, the atlas and the axis, have some deviating anatomical features. A vertebra is made up of the vertebral body and the vertebral arch, from which several extensions branch off.
The spinous process (Processus spinosus) starts at the back of the vertebral arch and is forked at the end in the cervical spine. On the right and left, the so-called transverse processes (Processus transversus), which, like the spinous process, serve as the attachment for muscles and ligaments. A hole can still be found in the transverse processes of the cervical spine (Foramina transversaria). The vertebral artery A. vertebralis, an important artery that supplies blood to some parts of our brain, runs through these holes. In addition, the vertebral arch still contains the so-called articular processes, which create an articulated connection to the vertebral body above and below.
Classification
The classification of a cervical spine fracture is based on defined criteria into A, B and C fractures (according to lean). The location of the fracture is important for the classification. Fractures of the Altas or Axis are referred to as an upper cervical spine fracture.
If the other vertebrae (C3-C7) are affected, it is referred to as a lower cervical spine fracture. Furthermore, it is important which part of the vertebra is injured. The vertebral body, the vertebral arch with its extensions, or a vertebral joint?
For the further course of treatment it is now important to classify whether the fracture is a stable or unstable fracture. Stable fractures can often be treated conservatively.
- A Fractures are stable. They are often vertebral body fractures.
- In B fractures there is distraction, i.e. the fracture parts are not stable and diverge.
- C fractures are particularly unstable. Usually a rotatory complication is added, the vertebral joints are often affected.
