While some are extremely painful, vertebral fractures are often asymptomatic until the spine begins to collapse.

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They published it in 2005 in a chiropractic journal called the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.

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This year, when she had a second vertebral fracture, she went back to get the real thing.

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Other thieves hack their way up the vertebral column in pursuit of the skull, the most prized body part.

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Punjab Singh, 65, suffered a single gunshot wound to the face that caused fractures and damage to his right carotid and vertebral arteries.

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"The peculiarity of this case is that the tip of the harpoon lodged itself between the anterior vertebral canal and the medullary canal, " he said.

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In a move with implications for the sale of T-bone steaks, he said he would make a proposal in the coming weeks, sticking "as closely as possible" to scientific advice that the vertebral column should be removed in countries where it could be shown that a ban on meat-based animal feed was not strictly enforced.

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