Spinal trauma and fracture in children

Your child may develop a spinal fracture or trauma from a birth injury, a motor vehicle accident or sports injuries. Their symptoms may consist of pain, swelling, trouble moving and trouble walking.

We take a family-centered, multidisciplinary approach to treating spinal trauma and all the care we provide. That means you’ll always be involved in your child’s care. And you can trust our neurosurgeons to treat your child as a whole person, not just a set of symptoms.

Testing and diagnosis

We’ll conduct a thorough family and medical history followed by a complete and accurate diagnosis. Testing may include:

• Bone scan: Involves nuclear imaging that will evaluate arthritic changes in the joints that will detect bone diseases and tumors.
• X-ray: Creates a digital image of the precise location of the abnormal spinal bones and internal tissues.
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): Assesses the spinal cord with detail along with producing images of the organs and structures throughout the body.
• CT scan (computed tomography): Provides more detailed images that show the bones, fat, organs and muscles.

Our Child Life specialists will talk to your child in an age-appropriate way to explain what is going on with their body and any tests or treatments. We want both you and your child to always understand what we are doing.

Treatment for a spinal fracture

Your child’s treatment plan will depend on their overall health, their age and the severity of the fracture. Most often, your child’s doctor will recommend medications to relieve the pain of the fracture followed by pediatric physical therapy to rebuild your child’s strength and range of motion. Surgery is rarely performed for spine fractures.