Question

A 62-year-old man falls on the ice and presents to the emergency department with neck pain. He is alert (GCS 15), haemodynamically stable and has no focal neurological deficit. He was not intoxicated. Applying the Canadian C-spine rule, which of the following allows clinical clearance without imaging?

Accepted Answer

He is ambulatory, has no midline cervical tenderness, a simple rear-end collision mechanism, can actively rotate his neck 45 degrees left and right and has no high-risk features

Answer

Age >65 years with any neck pain

Answer

Paresthesias in the extremities

Answer

Dangerous mechanism such as high-speed rollover

Answer

Inability to actively rotate his neck 45 degrees to either side

Practice question