Low Friction Traction for Cervical Spine Dislocation

New traction device for radiography of the lower cervical spine.

Severe injuries to the lower cervical spine may be overlooked when the shoulders obscure this area in the lateral view. This is a familiar clinical problem and generally it is handled by pulling downward on the arms to lower the shoulders [1 -5]. One of us (D . S.) conceived a simple device with which the patient himself exerts the traction by extending his legs . This innovation has certain ad...

Rapid traction for reduction of cervical spine dislocations.

There is still some controversy about the reduction of unilateral and bilateral facet dislocations in the cervical spine. We have reviewed the notes and radiographs of 210 such patients; reduction was attempted by manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA) in 91, and by rapid traction under sedation in 119, using weights up to 150 lb (68 kg). Our results suggest that early reduction in patients with ...

Bilateral Cervical Spine Facet Fracture-Dislocation

An intoxicated 29-year-old male presented to the emergency department after diving into a pool with reported loss of consciousness and complaining of neck pain. On arrival the Glasgow Coma Scale was 15 and vital signs were unremarkable. Physical exam was significant for focal C6 tenderness without stepoff deformity, decreased grip strength, biceps hyperreflexia and absent triceps reflexes bilat...

Hyperextension Dislocation of the Cervical Spine 135

The purpose of this report is to describe hyperextension dislocation of the cervical spine and to illustrate its often subtle radiographic features. An analysis of the lateral cervical spine radiographs in 20 patients with hyperextension dislocation of the cervical spine revealed the combination of diffuse prevertebral soft-tissue widening together with normally aligned cervical vertebrae in al...

Traction for radiography of the lower cervical spine.