The patient went onto MRI which confirmed the presence of soft tissue/ligamentous injury of the cervical spine at C5/C6, as well as injury to the C5/C6 intervertebral disc. She went on to have an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion to stabilize the injury.

Traumatic ligamentous and soft tissue injuries of the neck often present with an abnormal alignment of the cervical spine, as seen in this case. Posterior ligamentous complex injuries can present as focal kyphosis and splaying of the interspinous distance without associated vertebral body fracture.