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Multiple Choice

36-year-old female involved in a car crash has headache, burning sensation in legs, and spider-webbing on the windshield. What should you suspect?

High-energy trauma with neurologic change localized to the legs points to the cervical spine as the most likely injured area. The burning sensation or numbness in the legs suggests spinal cord or nerve pathway involvement below the neck, which is not explained by a brain injury alone. In a car crash, the force can drive the head and neck into extreme positions, risking cervical vertebrae and spinal cord injury. While a headache can accompany a brain injury, the presence of leg sensory changes makes a cervical spine injury the more plausible problem to address first. Spinal shock is a later development after a spinal cord injury and wouldn’t explain the initial leg sensations by itself. A facial fracture wouldn’t account for leg symptoms, and although a traumatic brain injury remains a concern, the signs point more directly to the cervical spine. Protect the neck, immobilize, and rapidly transport for definitive care.

High-energy trauma with neurologic change localized to the legs points to the cervical spine as the most likely injured area. The burning sensation or numbness in the legs suggests spinal cord or nerve pathway involvement below the neck, which is not explained by a brain injury alone. In a car crash, the force can drive the head and neck into extreme positions, risking cervical vertebrae and spinal cord injury. While a headache can accompany a brain injury, the presence of leg sensory changes makes a cervical spine injury the more plausible problem to address first. Spinal shock is a later development after a spinal cord injury and wouldn’t explain the initial leg sensations by itself. A facial fracture wouldn’t account for leg symptoms, and although a traumatic brain injury remains a concern, the signs point more directly to the cervical spine. Protect the neck, immobilize, and rapidly transport for definitive care.