Spine Levels—Answer to ER quiz 1 and 2

No, it is not OK for him to take the collar off and ship him.

He should leave the collar ON and ship him with an attendant to watch him closely.

Why?

Yes, it is true that the C4 and T4 dermatomes abut just about 2 inches above the nipple line. But what about the dermatomes in between?

Aaah, when our appendicular skeletons grew away from our axial skeletons when we were about the size of a ladybug, they dragged their dermatomes with them.

Thus the dermatomes from around C 5 - T 2 are out on the arms and not on the thorax at all!

The most common area for C-spine injury is around C6, so when you get a sensory picture like this, you have to pin out the arms to get the REAL sensory level.

General rule to stay out of trouble: LEAVE THE CERVICAL COLLAR ON !!

What is wrong with this picture?