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Neck Injuries: Cervical Spine Anatomy

Neck injuries, or cervical spine injuries, affect a large majority of American’s each year. Injuries to the cervical spine range from soft tissue injury, like sprains or strains, to more serious and catastrophic injuries like vertebral fractures, dislocation, or spinal cord injury (SPI). Neck injuries can occur in a variety of ways, some of these may include overuse, increased stress, automobile accidents, or sport-related incidents. Some individuals may present with biomechanical risk factors that increase their susceptibility to neck injury such as forward head posture, hyper/hypomobility of the cervical spine, or tightness of the surrounding musculature.

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Neck Injuries: Common Causes, Effects & Treatment

Types of neck injuries may include strains or sprains, stiff or sore necks, pinched nerves, or disc injuries. Common sources of neck injuries may include trauma, lifting, accidents, or any sudden movements.

Neck Sprains and Strains

A sprain of the ligaments or strain of the muscles in the neck can occur after an injury where the neck is bent or rotated (turned/twisted) in an abnormal way. Pain from a neck sprain, which can be mild or severe, does not always appear right away; you may not start to experience symptoms until hours after the injury, or even the next day. That is why you should see a doctor after a neck injury to get an evaluation even if you feel fine.

Neck strain

A neck strain or sprain occurs when one or more neck muscles, ligaments or tendons are injured. Most cases are mild or moderate, but severe cases need medical attention.

Penetrating Neck Injuries

Patients with penetrating neck trauma can present with a variety of injury patterns including hemorrhagic shock, airway obstruction and neurologic injury. Serious injuries may not be clinically obvious making diagnosis and prompt treatment challenging.

Recognizing and Managing Traumatic Neck Injuries

Injuries to the neck can be both complex and challenging for the prehospital provider. Whether the injury is blunt or penetrating, the provider must maintain a high index of suspicion for underlying injury even if the patient appears to have only minor superficial injuries. As will be discussed further, these patients have the potential for rapid decompensation as these types of injuries carry with them a high probability of morbidity and mortality.

Sports-related Neck Injury

While catastrophic cervical injuries do occur in sports, the incidence of fatal cases decreased in the last few decades due to better protective gear, increased awareness, better coaching, and rule changes.

Workplace Neck Injuries Can Be Hard to Prove

Neck injuries are among the most common kinds of injuries that happen at work. Office workers who spend a lot of time leaning forward can develop a neck injury, as can a warehouse worker who frequently lifts heavy items or engages in repetitive tasks.

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5 Key Symptoms of a Neck Injury

Neck pain is a common problem that about two-thirds of the population experience at some point. After all, your cervical spine and supporting muscles and ligaments support a head that weighs approximately 15 pounds. Due to the flexible but complex structure of your neck, it’s quite vulnerable to injury, both serious and minor. Tracking down the source of neck pain and whether injury is present, though, can be difficult.