{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T03:03:47Z","timestamp":1760151827044,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":5,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,9]],"date-time":"2022-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1662681600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Typically, a clay shoveler\u2019s fracture is a stress-type avulsion fracture involving the spinous processes of the lower cervical or upper thoracic vertebrae. Even though C7 and T1 are the most commonly involved spinal levels, these avulsion fractures can occur at any lower cervical or upper thoracic level, either as solitary or multiple fractures. This fracture used to be common in workers who shovel heavy loads of clay for long periods, hence its name. It does not cause any structural, functional, or neurological impairments and is therefore considered a stable fracture. Management is mostly conservative, involving rest, analgesics, and activity modification for a period of 4\u20136 weeks. Here, we present a 35-year-old male who sustained a motor vehicle accident. Except for midline tenderness in the back, there were no other positive findings. Plain radiographs showed a T11 vertebral compression fracture and absent or deviated spinous process shadows for most of the upper thoracic vertebrae. Computed tomography (CT) imaging clearly revealed multiple spinous process fractures extending from T2 to T8 levels. Considering the stability of these fractures, the patient was managed conservatively with rest, bracing, and analgesics. The recovery was quick, and he was back to his full functional status by six weeks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics12092190","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,12]],"date-time":"2022-09-12T20:52:25Z","timestamp":1663015945000},"page":"2190","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Multiple Clay Shoveler\u2019s Fractures of the Thoracic Spine"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Wilbur Teng Jun","family":"Hoong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 636921, Singapore"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2747-4500","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arun-Kumar","family":"Kaliya-Perumal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 636921, Singapore"},{"name":"Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Melmaruvathur 603319, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.4103\/0028-3886.156286","article-title":"Six-level isolated spinous process fracture of the thoracic vertebrae (clay-shoveler\u07e3s fracture) and a review of the literature","volume":"63","author":"Kazanci","year":"2015","journal-title":"Neurol. India"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"212","DOI":"10.14245\/kjs.2014.11.3.212","article-title":"Twelve contiguous spinous process fracture of cervico-thoracic spine","volume":"11","author":"Han","year":"2014","journal-title":"Korean J. Spine"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.11604\/pamj.2013.16.128.3531","article-title":"Multiple contiguous cervicothoracic Clay-shoveler\u2019s fractures (from C6 to T9 spinal vertebrae)","volume":"16","author":"Akhaddar","year":"2013","journal-title":"Pan Afr. Med. J."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.1177\/1460408616640998","article-title":"Clay-shoveler\u2019s fracture: A snapshot","volume":"18","author":"Toman","year":"2016","journal-title":"Trauma"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"292","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jemermed.2016.03.020","article-title":"The Clay Shoveler\u2019s Fracture: A Case Report and Review of the Literature","volume":"51","author":"Stadhouder","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Emerg. Med."}],"container-title":["Diagnostics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-4418\/12\/9\/2190\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T00:28:10Z","timestamp":1760142490000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-4418\/12\/9\/2190"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,9]]},"references-count":5,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9]]}},"alternative-id":["diagnostics12092190"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/diagnostics12092190","relation":{},"ISSN":["2075-4418"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2075-4418"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,9]]}}}