Severe Strains of the Lower Cervical Spine

Abstract

This article deals with ruptures of the structures connecting the vertebrae that may lead to vertebral displacement when exceeding their physiological limits. Severe intervertebral strain, as an entity, is a fairly recent concept and many of the classic European or American texts do not mention it at all or refer to it as the subluxation described by Watson-Jones. The cervical spine, with its 20 articulations, is much more likely to suffer strain with ligamentous rupture during severe injury than the rest of the locomotor system. Moreover, the problems are different, for very often simply transporting the patient in a position of rest restores articular alignment and disguises the ligamentous rupture. In the evaluation of cervical trauma ligamentous injury must be routinely investigated. Furthermore, when there is vertebral displacement the cervical spine threatens the 3 structures its bony canals are intended to protect: the spinal cord in the vertebral canal, the spinal nerves in the foramina and the vertebral artery in the transverse foramina.