Wiktionary
n. a neck brace
Wikipedia
A cervical collar, also known as a neck brace, is a medical device used to support a person's neck. It is also used by emergency personnel for those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries, and can be used to treat chronic medical conditions.
Whenever people have a traumatic head or neck injury, they may have a cervical fracture. This makes them at high risk for spinal cord injury, which could be exacerbated by movement of the person and could lead to paralysis or death. A common scenario for this injury would be a person suspected of having whiplash because of a car accident. In order to prevent further injury, such people may have a collar placed by medical professionals until X-rays can be taken to determine if a cervical spine fracture exists. The cervical collar only stabilizes the top seven vertebrae, C1 through C7. (Other immobilizing devices such as a Kendrick Extrication Device or a backboard can be used to stabilize the remainder of the spinal column.)
Cervical collars are also used therapeutically to help realign the spinal cord and relieve pain, although they are usually not worn for long periods of time. Another use of the cervical collar is for strains, sprains or whiplash. If pain is persistent, the collar might be required to remain attached to help in the healing process. A person may also need a cervical collar, or may require a halo fixation device to support the neck during recovery after surgery such as cervical spinal fusion.
Usage examples of "cervical collar".
She left Frieda and returned with McCarty's permission to let her sit as long as she had help, wasn't left alone, and the cervical collar remained in place.
The ambulance people get there fast enough to slap an inflatable cervical collar around the Crip's neck before he gets ambitious enough to stand up.
The second corpsman pushed Jackson out of the way and attached a cervical collar to the wounded airman.
Definite shotgun,' the man answered, affixing the cervical collar.
The resident, Cliff Severn, reached around delicately to remove the cervical collar after making sure the head was secured by sandbags.
He ran a cervical collar around his neck, for what good it would do, and checked the bandages.
He slapped a bandage on the bleeding head wound, attached a splint to the arm and put on a cervical collar for good measure.
The towel that had been wrapped around his mouth and taped had slipped down to his neck so that it looked like a cervical collar.
Have a collapsible stretcher lowered to the hundred-foot platform, with inflatable splints and a cervical collar—.
She wore a cervical collar and a blue uniform that Toad had had dry-cleaned.
A cervical collar was fitted around the victim's neck, and a backboard brought in before they rolled him over onto the stretcher.