A 65-year-old patient with an odontoid fracture caused by 'headbanging'
Zijlstra, W.P.; van Raay, J.J.A.M.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 152(31): 1743-1745
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-2162 PMID: 18727607 Document Number: 620444
A 65-year-old woman who habitually made flexion-extension movements with her cervical vertebral column (so-called 'headbanging') was seen with complaints of the neck. X-rays of the neck revealed an odontoid fracture. Bone densitometry revealed lowered bone mineral density (osteopenia). The diagnosis was odontoid fracture due to headbanging, in the presence of osteopenia. Patient recovered after treatment with a neck collar worn for 6 months.