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©2013 UpToDate ® Print Email C7 burst fracture and C6 flexion teardrop Vertical compression injuries such as burst fractures occur in the cervical spine when axial loads are exerted on the spine. When the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disk is forced into the vertebral body, the body shatters outward, resulting in a burst fracture. Note the fracture fragment on the CT image above (white arrow) that is displaced into the spinal canal. Courtesy of Mary Hochman, MD