The causes, sequelae and attempts at prevention of cervical spine injuries in Poland

There are certain differences between the causes of spinal injuries in Poland and in the developed countries of the West. The most common causes of injuries to the cervical spine in Poland are: falls from a horse-cart, diving into shallow water and automobile accidents. This paper presents an analysis of the causes of cervical spine injuries in a series of 1937 patients treated at the Spinal Cord Injury Department of the Metropolitan Rehabilitation Center in Konstancin, Poland, in the years between 1965 and 1991, admitted to hospital within the first hours or days after spinal injury. The relations between the mechanism of injury and the cause of injury, as well as the neurological sequelae of the injuries, are analysed.