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Traumatic births lead to spinal cord damage

The July, 1982 Journal of Neurosurgery reports on the damaging effects that forceful extraction of a baby from the birth canal can cause to the spinal cord. The study also said that such damage to the cord can occur without any evidence of fracture or dislocation of the vertebra showing up on subsequent X-rays.

 

The study, performed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, found that the damage to the spinal cord could occur without damage to the bones because of the flexibility and elasticity of the infant's spine. It was shown that while the spine could stretch up to 2 inches without damage to the bones, the spinal cord itself could only stretch one-quarter of an inch before rupture of the cord occurred. s