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Cord injuries in children may occur without radiographically recognizable bony injuries or subluxation.

They usually occur in children less than eight years old and are more commomly seen in the cervical spine than thoracic.

This apparent paradox is thought to be secondary to the elasticity and compressibility of bony and ligamentous structures at a young age.

They are usually seen in catastrophic distraction or compression injuries,

This 22 month old child was unrestrained and ejected from an MVA and was paraplegic.

Plain x-rays, CT scan, and MRI STIR sequences were all normal except for the cord findings.