Is cervical spine fracture serious?

  Cervical spine fracture is a more complex injury, and whether it is serious or not cannot be generalized and should be determined according to the location and degree of cervical spine injury.  If there is a fracture of the spinous process of the cervical spine, the impact on the cervical spine is not significant and generally does not require special treatment. After 4-6 weeks, the spinous process of the cervical spine will gradually heal and will not have a greater impact on the body. If a burst fracture occurs in the cervical spine and compresses the spinal cord, there is a risk of high paraplegia. If a cervical fracture is located too high, such as in the atlantoaxial spine, it may compress the respiratory and circulatory centers, resulting in respiratory and circulatory arrest leading to death. If the cervical vertebral fracture is located in the vertebral artery foramen, it may compress the vertebral artery, resulting in inadequate blood supply to the brain and vertigo or fainting.  For milder cervical vertebral fractures that are not combined with other complications, conservative treatment is usually available; for more severe misaligned fractures and combined with high paraplegia, prompt surgical treatment should be performed.