- Discussion:
- typical mechanism of injury is head on motor vehicle collision while
wearing a seat belt;
- force exerted on spine is pure distraction owing to fulcrum that is anterior
to vertebral body;
- this is imposed by the lap seat belt as the pt acutely flexed forward;
- this causes the vertebral elements to be pulled apart;
- hence, tension failure occurs, initially in
Posterior column, then
in the
Middle column, and finally in the
Anterior column;
- if the fulcrum of is within the body, or in
Middle column, there will
be compression of the
Anterior column;
- these fractures will tend to go into late kyphosis & therefore require
early fixation;
