Canadian C Spine Rules

Question 1

What are the Canadian C spine rules?

Answer 1

Used to assess someone’s risk of a c spine injury (high, low or no risk) guide imaging

Question 2

What makes someone high risk?in the Canadian C spine rules

Answer 2

• Age 65 or older
• Dangerous mechanism of injury (fall from height greater than 1m or 5 steps, axial load to head [diving, horse riding, Rollover motor accident…etc)
• paraesthsia in upper or lower limbs

Question 3

What makes someone low risk in the Canadian C spine rules?

Answer 3

• Involved in minor rear end motor collision
• comfortable in sitting position
• ambulatory at any time since injury
• no midline cervical spine tenderness
• delayed onset of neck pain

Question 4

What causes someone to remain low risk in the Canadian C spine rules?

What happens is they don’t have this?

Answer 4

Unable to actively rotate neck 45 degrees L or R

If they don’t have this and only one low risk factor then they are at NO risk

Question 5

What makes someone no risk?in the Canadian C spine rules

Answer 5

• able to rotate head L/R 45 degrees

- have one low risk factor