Spine trauma in children in earthquakes

Abstract

Spine trauma in children after earthquakes is less frequent than limb fractures and head injuries but is considered the most severe type of trauma. Often times, spine trauma is accompanied by a shock and impairment of movement. Pretty often, it causes disability. According to Rathore M.F. et al. [20], out of 187 hospitalized patients who were admitted to spinal injury units after the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, 89 % were paraplegic. There are very few publications regarding spinal trauma in children and even in adults, sustained during earthquakes. Compared to adults, a child's spine is more elastic and flexible. It is more resistant to fractures, but its excessive bending and unbending may cause overstretching of the spinal cord and, consequently, impairment of circulation in the spine, with no radiographic signs of damage of bone structures [11, 12, 20, 26].