ABSTRACT
I INTRODUCTION An accepted classification of thoracic and lumbar spine injuries allows clinicians to work from a common ground when managing the traumatized patient. Several perplexing questions plague the treating physician when evaluating a patient with a thoracolumbar fracture, such as: Which injuries can be managed conservatively? Which patient will require surgery, and what should be performed? These decisions require an understanding of when the spine should be considered clinically unstable.
