Pearls and Pitfalls
- The elderly are at high risk of cervical spine injury from relatively minor mechanisms of injury (e.g. falling from standing): always consider the possibility of a neck injury in an old patient with a fall and head injury
- Missed cervical spine fractures tend to occur in patients with distracting injuries, reduced level of consciousness or under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- If the patient is holding their neck in a flexed position, DO NOT try to get into a collar. There are many case reports of paralysis resulting from putting patients with ankylosing spondylitis into a collar.