Sch 14, s 85

Serious cervical spine injury

Current

		Comment	16 to 40
		• The injury will cause serious upper extremity impairment or serious permanent impairment of the cervical spine.
		• The injury may involve—
		(a) a change of motion segment integrity; or
		(b) bilateral or multilevel nerve root compression or damage.
		Examples of the injury
		• loss of motion in a motion segment because of a surgical or post-traumatic fusion
		• a fracture involving more than 25% compression of 1 vertebral body
		• an injury showing objective signs of nerve root damage after surgery
		Comment about appropriate level of ISV
		• An ISV at or near the bottom of the range will be appropriate if—
		(a) the injured worker has had surgery and symptoms persist; or
		(b) there is a fracture involving 25% compression of 1 vertebral body.
		• An ISV in the middle of the range will be appropriate if there is a fracture involving about 50% compression of a vertebral body, with ongoing pain.
		• An ISV at or near the top of the range will be appropriate if—
		(a) the injured worker has had a fusion of vertebral bodies that has failed, leaving objective signs of significant residual nerve root damage and ongoing pain, affecting 1 side of the body; and
		(b) there is a DPI of about 28%.

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