Cervical spine fractures are associated with other, non-contiguous fractures in approximately 10% of trauma patients [1,13]. It is essential that patients with cervical spine fractures also have imaging of their thoraco-lumbar spine.

The thoraco-lumbar spine is inherently more stable than the cervical spine. When injuries do occur, they may be associated with significant trauma, and therefore patients with these injuries have a high risk of associated organ damage.

The exception to this is in patients with osteoporosis. The thoracic spine is particularly vulnerable to osteoporosis, which can lead to wedge fractures from relatively minor, or indeed no trauma.