CASE ONE
A mother brings her six-year-old
son to your emergency department.
He was practising his “Power
Ranger” moves in the family’s
split-level living room and leapt
from the upper to the lower level,
landing heavily on his feet. He
complains of neck pain but no
other symptoms.
What features are present on
inspection?
He has a torticollis, and is in some
degree of pain.
What immobilisation is
indicated?
This child would not fit into a collar.
Forcing the issue would create further
pain and distress and may exacerbate
an injury. He should be allowed to
adopt a position of comfort, with
padded support if necessary, and
given simple analgesia as required.
What imaging is indicated?
X-rays are indicated as an initial investigation,
but should be interpreted
with care, with recognition that in
this age-group plain X-rays are
known to be poorly sensitive.
What is the injury?
X-rays showed an anterior subluxation
of C2 on C3. In this particular
case, injury was missed on two presentations,
as the treating doctor interpreted
the X-rays as normal and
assumed a “muscular strain”. Relying
on negative X-rays in this age
group is a classical error – the
history and examination (inspection)
give the diagnosis.
Neck pain after play mishap
X-rays are indicated for the boy but
should be interpreted with care.
