Cervical Fractures and Fracture Dislocations-An Overview

In that the neck has a wide range of movements--flexion, extension, lateral bending and rotation, there is a large variety of types of neck fractures and fracture-dislocations.

This paper describes these various fractures and dislocations emphasizing the mechanisms as determined from clinical experience and potential, neurological damage.

Fractures and fracture-dislocations with and without spinal cord involvement have been extensively described in the medical literature. This paper will give a brief overview of some of the types of fractures, as well as the mechanisms involved in these injuries. For more detailed descriptions, the reader is encouraged to review the articles in the list of suggested readings found in this symposium proceedings.