Chalk-Stick Fracture in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report of Cervical Spine Injury Following Minor Trauma Article Swipe

View

Related Concepts

Medicine Ankylosing spondylitis Cervical spine Fracture (geology) Cervical spine injury Spondylitis Cervical vertebrae Surgery Geotechnical engineering Engineering

Margaret L Baldwin , Erin F Shufflebarger , Zachary Pacheco ·

YOU? · · 2024 · Open Access · · DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.68931 · OA: W4402341394

We describe the case of a 74-year-old male with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who presented to the Emergency Department for evaluation of acutely worsened left-sided weakness following a fall from standing. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of his cervical spine revealed a chalk-stick fracture of C5-C7, which required surgical intervention. Chalk-stick fractures are rare, typically occurring in patients with AS, and often occurring from low-energy mechanisms. In the acute setting, providers should maintain a low threshold for obtaining CT or MRI imaging to evaluate spinal injury in patients with AS.