Cervical Injury

If a cervical vertebra is fractured by trauma, such as in a car accident, a fall, a diving accident that jars the head, or any other significant cervical injury, the spinal cord can be damaged, possibly resulting in not only cervical pain but different types of impaired functioning depending on which cervical vertebra has been injured.

For example, a cervical injury to:

• C1, C2, or C3 (one of the first three cervical vertebrae) may result in functional loss of the diaphragm and necessitate the use of a ventilator to aid in breathing
• C4 (the fourth cervical vertebra, etc.) may prompt loss of functional control of the shoulders and biceps
• C5 may result in complete functional loss at the wrists and hands in addition to partial loss of the shoulders and biceps
• C6 may result in complete loss of hand function and limited use of the wrist
• C7 may result in decreased skillful use in the hands and fingers, and limited use of the arms.