Question

During a rear-end collision, a 60-year old woman driver was thrown forward at the same time her head was thrown back. She suffered a concussion. During her examination at the doctor's office, she complained of a stiff and painful neck. The doctor noted that the woman held her head rigidly and slightly flexed and turned to the right. She had a weak biceps reflex on the right side. Results of a cervical x-ray showed that the disk between C-5 and C-6 was thin.

1. What type of injuries caused these symptoms? Why?

2. Which group of spinal nerves was probably compressed? Why?

3. Because the woman's head was flexed, which group of muscles would have been stretched and possibly torn? Why?

4. The weak biceps reflex would have been caused by compression of which nerve? Why?

Answer 1

1. Spinal cord injuries are the reason behind these symptoms. During car collisions, it is very common for the body to be thrown forward due to inertia while the head is thrown backward hyperextending the neck. This can easily cause damage to the spinal nerves ( from the cervical part). It is also called a "whiplash" injury.
2. Cervical spinal nerves were compressed because they are one's located in the neck.
3. The neck extensors have probably been injured. This is due to unregulated overworking of these muscles.
4. C5-6 supply the biceps brachi and their injury has lead to these symptoms.