An 80-year-old lady presented to the Emergency Department with neck pain 3 days after a fall. The lady lived alone in a flat on the third floor and whilst walking down a spiral staircase fell forwards. She remembered reaching for the rail and ended up on her bottom. She denied any head injury, neck pain, loss of consciousness or any other injuries. There were no preceding headaches, chest pain or palpitations. The lady woke up the following day with restricted neck movements due to constant pain.
She was unable to alleviate this with paracetamol so presented to the ED. On arrival at the ED the patient's vital signs were all within normal physiological parameters. GCS was 15/15 and Abbreviated Mental Test Score was 10/10. Examination revealed reduced range of neck movements, limited by pain. The lady was able to flex her head to touch her chest but had reduced lateral rotation, lateral…
