Epidemiology

Cervical spine injuries result primarily from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports activities (e.g., horse riding, American football, trampolining), and diving into shallow water. Traffic accidents are typically the most common cause of spinal cord injury, followed by falls in older adults.[4]

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that there were more than 4.5 million police-reported traffic crash injuries in 2019 in the US.[5]​ One study, looking at 5 years of data, estimated that around 869,000 traffic crash-related cervical spine injuries are seen annually in US hospitals.[6]​ The incidence of crash-related neck injury varies widely among European countries, with the highest rates reported in the UK and the lowest rates in France and Finland.[7]

Injury mechanisms other than traffic accidents constitute substantially smaller fractions of neck injuries, and are primarily dependent on the activities of the injured people. Falls, especially in older people, and violent assaults are increasingly common mechanisms of cervical spine injury.[4][8]​​

The majority of studies show a high male-to-female ratio of cervical spine injuries, and an age of peak incidence of younger than 30 years old.[4][8] Multiple studies have indicated a higher frequency of whiplash injury in women than in men.[9]​​

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