The Logical Fallacy of Cervical Collars

After the cervical collar’s (c-collar) inception in the Vietnam War, it served as a replacement for sandbags placed on either side of the neck. The rigid c-collar is intended to immobilize and stabilize any potential neck injury. No studies exist that suggest it accomplishes either of those objectives. Some data suggests that c-collars may actually do more harm than good. They may increased the intracranial pressure, as measured by an increased internal jugular vein diameter when patient’s are wearing a c-collar. Furthermore, c-collars do not actually immobilize the head against axial forces seen in cadavaric studies. So, why then, do we use them?