Since the first description of the Chance fracture in 1948, there have been few case reports of unique mechanisms causing this classical flexion-extension injury to the spine in motor vehicle accidents, sports injury, and falls. To our knowledge, this injury has not been reported from a fall with the mechanistic forces acting laterally on the spine and with spinal support in place. We present a 21-year-old male who slid down a flight of stairs onto his side wearing a heavy mountaineering style backpack, subsequently sustaining a Chance fracture of his first lumbar vertebrae.
A 76-year-old man with a history of ankylosing spondylitis presented to the emergency department complaining of neck pain. He stated the pain began when he slipped to the ground from a seated position in his bedroom.
A 30-year-old man presented to the emergency department after a motorcycle accident at high speed. He reported neck pain and referred paresthesia along the fourth and fifth fingers of both the left and the right hand. The patient arrived at hospital hemodynamically stable.
