Abstract
Introduction There are no evidence-based recommendations for the post-operative treatment and
application of soft or rigid cervical collars after operative treatment of injuries
of
the subaxial cervical spine. Cervical collars can restrict peak range of motion
and serve as a reminder to the patient. However, they can also cause pressure ulcers.
The aim of this
online-based survey among German spine centres was to gain an overview of post-operative
treatment and the application of soft or rigid cervical collars after surgical treatment
of injuries
of the subaxial cervical spine.
Materials and Methods An online-based survey was conducted among 59 spine centres certified by the German
Spine Society. It comprised seven items and the option of adding remarks in
the form of open-ended responses.
Results The return rate was 63% (37 out of 59). Of the 37 analysed spine centres, 51% routinely
apply a cervical collar post-operatively, 27% apply a soft and 16% a rigid cervical
collar, 8% sequentially apply first a rigid and later a soft cervical collar.
Less than half of the spine centres (43%) routinely use no cervical collar. Rigid
collars are applied for more
than 6 weeks and soft collars up to 6 weeks at some spine centres. Standardised
post-operative treatment plans are common. The selection of the post-operative treatment
plan depends
primarily on the type of injury and method of operation and partly on patient
age and bone quality. The satisfaction of German spine centres with the current handling
of post-operative
treatment of subaxial cervical spine injuries is high.
Discussion The post-operative treatment of injuries of the subaxial cervical spine at German
spine centres is heterogeneous, and the evidence on advantages and disadvantages of
the
post-operative application of cervical collars is insufficient. Planning and
implementation of randomised controlled clinical trials in subaxial cervical spine
injuries is challenging.
Key words
subaxial cervical spine - post-operative treatment - cervical collar - spine centre
