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Broken Neck
A broken neck is one of the most potentially life altering of all
back injuries.
The
cervical spine
consists of the first 7 vertebrae in the spinal column. If any of these vertebral bones is
fractured,
broken or seriously misaligned, the patient is said to have broken their neck. Any broken spinal bone can be a serious condition, but damage to the cervical vertebrae carries a particularly high risk for life long disability.
Anatomy of a Broken Neck
Cervical vertebrae can be easily injured due to their relatively light structure when compared to other spinal vertebrae. The head is a tremendous weight for the spine to support and this weight can act as additional force upon the cervical region in cases of extreme trauma. The
spinal cord
is not as well protected in the cervical region as in other areas of the spinal column. Therefore, there is a higher incidence of
spinal cord injury
and
spinal nerve injury
during cervical trauma than in other spinal zones.
Broken Cervical Spine versus Spinal Cord Damage
Just because a patient has broken their neck does not mean that any damage has been done to any neurological tissue. Bones can be broken without severing or even bruising the spinal cord. Severe injuries to the cervical spine can cause cord damage which might result in catastrophic consequences for the patient. Cervical cord injuries will affect all bodily systems below the level of the injury and a
complete spinal cord injury
can result in total
paralysis
from the neck down. This condition was formerly known as quadriplegia, but is now more appropriately named
tetraplegia.
Recommendation for a Broken Neck
If you have broken or fractured cervical vertebrae without damaging your spinal cord, consider yourself very lucky. Most bone injuries will heal completely with appropriate medical treatment. If you do have spinal cord damage or even a paralytic condition, there are still many therapies which might help you to regain function. I have high hopes for such cutting edge technologies as
stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries.
Hopefully, the scientific, religious and political factions will some day come together and agree that this therapy is a tremendous hope for future treatment of spinal cord damage. Till then, we are all waiting… patiently…
Broken Neck to Back Pain Home
9/5/07 Revised 10/7/09
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