Teardrop fracture following head-first impact in an ice hockey player: Case report and analysis of injury mechanisms

摘要

BackgroundWe report a case of a young male athlete who sustained a three column displaced teardrop fracture of the C5 vertebra due to a head-first impact in hockey, suffered neurapraxia, yet made full neurological recovery. This full recovery was in sharp contrast to multiple case series which reported permanent quadriplegia in the vast majority of teardrop fracture patients. We investigate the etiology and biomechanical mechanisms of injury.