The Management of Cervical Spine Injuries – A Literature Review

Due to the inherent bony instability of the cervical spine, there is an over-reliance on ligamentous structures for stability, making this segment of the vertebral column most prone to traumatic injuries. The frequently occurring mechanisms of injury include axial compression, hyper-flexion, hyper-extension, and rotational type injuries. Good pre-hospital care and a thorough assessment in the emergency department of patients suspected to have a cervical spine injury (CSI) leads to improved clinical outcomes. The objective of the initial evaluation of a patient with a suspected CSI is to identify the presence of injuries through thorough clinical and radiologic assessments as missed injuries are potentially catastrophic. The treatment of cervical spine injuries can be conservative, pharmacological, or surgical, and aims to halt SCI progression, stabilize the spine, and to allow rehabilitation of the patient.