Cervical cord trauma. The relationship between clinical syndromes and force of injury.

Several different syndromes, such as central cord, anterior cord, and root, have been described in injuries to the cervical spine. If stress analysis theory is used to analyze the applied forces that cause injury, the various syndromes appear to be interrelated and follow in an orderly progression that depend on the magnitude of the applied force. The modes of injury, either flexion or extension, theoretically produce similar injuries, dependent on the severity of the blow. These applied forces then cause the pathologic changes that have been described. This article applies commonly used principles of engineering design to analyze clinical syndromes and to demonstrate that these syndromes are related in a sequential manner.