Emergency department evaluation and treatment of the neck and cervical spine injuries.

In the United States, nearly 5 million patients per year require spinal immobilization. The emergency physician (EP) must be able to efficiently and effectively manage these patients. To do so, the EP must have an understanding of cervical spine anatomy, spinal immobilization techniques, specific injury patterns, optimal imaging studies, and associated injuries and treatment modalities. This article addresses these important issues and discusses other challenges in the management of cervical spine injuries.