External trauma usually leads to immediate consequences, particularly in the very young and in the elderly.

• Spinal cord injuries usually result from vertical compression of the spinal column with anteroflexion or hyperextension, and may be of pure fracture, pure dislocation, or fracture dislocation type
• Spinal cord injury severity ranges from:
  • concussion - transient, reversible dysfunction
  • contusion - with more severe trauma, damage ranges from minor transient bruising to hemorrhagic necrosis of cord tissue (hematomyelia); edema and softening of cord occurs with severe contusions
  • laceration and transections usually result in irreversible loss of function
• Post traumatic syringomyelia may occur years after a spinal cord injury
• Other mechanisms of traumatic injury include:
  • barotrauma (ex. decompression sickness) - myelopathy resulting from formation of nitrogen bubbles in spinal vessels
  • lightning and electrical injury
  • radiation - post-radiation myelopathy