A broken neck is an extremely serious injury that can lead to paralysis or death. Learn how to diagnose and treat a broken neck in this medical video.
Check for bruising, swelling, extreme pain
Numbness may be felt in extremities
Wear seatbelts
William Jones, M.D. is a physician for the Andrews Institute. The Andrews Institute is a world class institute for orthopedic and sports medicine. It is lead by world renowned surgeon James Andrews and is one of the most well known and highly regarded institutes for musculoskeletal research and treatments.
DR. WILLIAM JONES: A broken neck is also called a cervical spine fracture. This is an extremely serious injury that in some instances can result in permanent paralysis and death. You have seven bones in your neck called your cervical vertebra. Now, these bones are responsible in helping you support your head and connecting it to the rest of your body as well as moving your head around. In addition, it also houses the upper part of your spinal cord which is responsible for major neurologic function for the rest of your body. In a non-sporting realm, this is commonly seen for people who had been in severe car accidents or also who have sustained falls. In the sporting realm, this is commonly seen in football players and contact athletes as well as gymnasts who missed to negotiate a bar and fall awkwardly. One example of a football player is someone who does spear tackling where they tackle with their head down in a flexed position and they don't get the proper support from the muscles. This can cause a severe injury. An example for wrestlers is someone who is slammed to the mat and they fall awkwardly on their neck. Typically, someone with a neck fracture has severe neck pain, and they might even have some bruising and swelling in the back part of their neck where they sustained their injury. One other thing that you might notice is that they will all complain of numbness and tingling in their arms and legs; and if it is a very severe injury, they will be unable to move their arms and their legs. The treatment for a neck fracture depends on the type of the fracture and the location of the fracture and also whether or not there is a neurological injury involved as well. A lot of times, neck fractures can be prevented. And some of the ways that you can prevent neck fractures are to wear your seatbelt when you drive. If you or your child plays football, make sure that you avoid spear tackling and to tackle with your head up.
