Imaging of the Cervical Spine > Introduction > Incidence

Incidence

Cervical spine injuries are both common and potentially devastating.

Incidence: In the USA, there are 7,000 to 10,000 patients with cervical spine injuries who present for treatment annually. An estimated 5,000 additional patients with cervical spine injuries die at the scene of the accident. Almost half of cervical spine injuries are associated with spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury most often occurs in teenagers and young adults. The mean age at injury is 30.7 years, but injury most frequently occurs at age 19. Overall about 82% of all patients are males. The three most common causes of spinal fractures are motor vehicle accident (50%), falls (25%), and sports injuries (10%).