Anterior subluxation (hyperflexion sprain) is localized, purely ligamentous disruption of the cervical spine caused by a limited flexion force. When associated with a simple wedge fraction, also a flexion injury, anterior subluxation may be the more significant lesion. Radiographically, anterior subluxation is characterised by (1) a localized kyphotic angulation at the level of injury; (2) ante...

A 60 years male presented with lower backache with tingling and numbness in both lower limbs for last 3 years. Later, he had pain in the neck and progressive weakness in both upper limbs for last 4 months. He had no history of bladder and bowel involvement. On examination, he had increased tone in all the four limbs with power of 4/5, bilateral absent biceps, exaggerated knee reflexes, ankle cl...

Teardrop fracture of the cervical spine is a confusing and loosely used term, often referring to any fracture with a triangular fragment in the involved body. The flexion teardrop fracture is a specific entity that should not be confused with other types of injury with a teardrop fragment. In a radiographic analysis of 45 patients with flexion teardrop fracture, the most characteristic feature ...

This paper describes the patterns of pain induced by injecting hypertonic saline into the lumbar multifidus muscle opposite the L5 spinous process in 15 healthy adult volunteers. All subjects experienced local pain while referred pain was reported by 13 subjects in one of two regions of the thigh; anterior (n=5) or posterior (n=8). These results confirm that the multifidus muscle may be a sourc...

Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is a significant complication of spinal anesthesia. There is considerable variability in the incidence of PDPH, which is affected by a number of factors including age, gender, pregnancy, and needle type and size. We present a case where a patient had PDPH after a spinal block with a deformed spinal needle due to calcified interspinous ligaments. We suggest, in...

The past 30 years has seen a dramatic expansion in the technologies available to practitioners of interventional pain management for the spine. This survey article spans the historical development from spinal decompression and fixation techniques to the most recent endoscopic and laser based therapies. This review is based on the six basic mechanisms for reducing pain of spinal origin: 1) anti-...

Enneking et al. examined the process of local spread of primary bone and soft tissue tumors of the extremities and proposed a “surgical staging system” and “the concept of compartment and anatomic barriers.”17 Applying this concept to the spine, we studied the histology of 19 vertebral tumor specimens resected by TES. We found that the following tissues served as barriers to spinal tumor progre...

The potential for significant neck injuries exists in today's high performance fighter aircraft. The G-loads required to produce injury need not be excessive, nor is experience level necessarily protective. Eight cervical spine injury cases, due to or aggravated by +Gz in F-15 and F-16 aircrew members are reviewed. These include two compression fractures (C5/C7), three left HNP's (C5-6/C6-7), o...