A clay-shoveler fracture represents a fracture of the spinou | Figure 1

A clay-shoveler fracture

A clay-shoveler fracture represents a fracture of the spinous process of a lower cervical vertebra, usually C6 or C7. It is often a fatigue fracture. It was first recognized in 1933 when previously unemployed men were given jobs digging drainage ditches in clay soil in southwestern Australia. The clay was tossed out of the ditches with long-handled shovels. As a worker tossed the shovel upward, the clay sometimes stuck to it, producing a sudden, unexpected opposite force on his neck and back muscles.

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