How long does it take for a C6 fracture to heal?
Traction allows for very little movement. You’ll have to wear rigid braces or a halo vest to steady your spine. During this time, you won’t be able to drive or do other activities. This treatment can take up to 12 weeks, while your fracture heals.
Can you recover from a C6 fracture?
Individuals with milder C6 SCIs typically have different recovery outlooks because they have more spared neural pathways. However, many other factors such as motivation, intensity of rehabilitation, and pre-existing health conditions can also influence recovery after C6 spinal cord injury.
What happens if you break your C6 vertebrae?
A C6 spinal cord injury is one that affects the lower end of the cord near the base of the neck. Injuries to this area of the spinal cord can result in loss of sensation or function of everything in the body from the top of the ribcage on down, including all four extremities, or what is known as quadriplegia.
How is a C6 fracture treated?
Nonsurgical Treatment for C6-C7
- Pain Management. Pain in C6-C7 may originate from bones, nerves, or muscles, sometimes persisting for months.
- Immobilization. Using a neck brace or collar after an acute injury, such as fracture, may help promote healing of tissues and prevent further injury.
- Physical therapy.
How Serious is a C6 fracture?
A C6 spinal cord injury affects the cord near the base of the neck. Injuries to this area of the spinal cord can result in loss of sensation or function of everything in the body from the top of the ribcage on down, including all four extremities.
What part of the body does C6 control?
The C6 vertebra is the sixth cervical vertebra of the spine. It is found in the base of the neck between the C5 and the last cervical vertebra, C7. The C6 vertebra plays an important role in supporting and protecting the structures of the head and neck as well as anchoring the muscles that move and support the neck.
How long does it take for a fractured neck to heal?
How long does it take to recover? A simple break that doesn’t affect your spinal cord can be treated with a neck brace worn for six to eight weeks until the bone heals. More complicated breaks can require surgery and other treatments such as a stiff neck brace for up to three months.
How long do you stay in the hospital after a spinal cord injury?
Critical Care, Surgery, and Hospitalization The average hospital stay immediately following a spinal cord injury is 11 days. Many injury survivors then transition to rehabilitative facilities, at which the average stay is 36 days.
What does C6 on the spine do?
The C6-C7 spinal motion segment bears the primary load from the weight of the head and provides support to the lower part of the neck.
Is a fractured neck the same as a broken neck?
There are seven bones that make up the cervical vertebrae (neck). They support the head and connect it to the shoulders and body. A fracture, or break, in one of the cervical vertebrae is commonly called a broken neck. Cervical fractures usually result from high-energy trauma, such as automobile crashes or falls.
What are the symptoms of a C6 fracture?
Symptoms of a C6 Level Spinal Cord Injury. Patients with spinal cord tissue or nerve damage near the C6 vertebra often experience a false case of carpal tunnel syndrome. The patient will likely have numbness and / or tingling in the fingers, hands, and arms.
Where is C5 C6 vertebrae?
Your C5 and C6 vertebrae are located in the cervical portion of your spine, otherwise known as the neck. Physical therapy for C5 and C6 ranges from reducing pain and symptom levels by properly taking care of this region to strengthening and stretching exercises that return your neck…
What is C6 fracture?
C6 Vertebrae. Injury or pressure on the C6 nerve root , that exits the spinal column between the C6 vertebra and the C7 vertebra, can directly affect the control of the muscles in the forearms and wrists.
Why do vertebrae break?
Trauma can cause vertebrae to break. Car accidents and falls are the most common forms of trauma leading to fractured vertebrae. Metastatic cancer can weaken the spine and cause vertebral fracture. Certain congenital or developmental conditions might predispose vertebrae to break more easily than in a typical spinal anatomy.