J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  2003 Aug;27(4):626-629.

A Spontaneous Atlantoaxial Subluxation: A case repor

• Kim SJ
• Kim JM
• Chung JS
• Kho SE

Abstract

The atlantoaxial joint has a little stability and is secured and supported chiefly by soft tissue such as ligaments and articular capsule, so it has free motions to all directions. Relaxation or rupture of these supportive structures due to inflammation or trauma may cause instability or subluxation, and it results in compression of the spinal cord and it reveals various neurologic symptoms. The atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation, the rare disease found in children mostly, is known to be one of the reasons of the temporal torticollis in children. An adult type is very rare, but it is possible to be combined with rheumatoid arthritis and/or trauma, but we experienced the 25-year-old female patient who had the atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation spontaneously without rheumatoid arthritis and/or trauma, so we report this case with review of literature.

Keyword

Atlas; Axis; Subluxation; Torticollis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Arthritis, Rheumatoid
Atlanto-Axial Joint
Axis, Cervical Vertebra
Child
Female
Humans
Inflammation
Joint Capsule
Ligaments
Neurologic Manifestations
Rare Diseases
Relaxation
Rupture
Spinal Cord
Torticollis