Getting the best recovery results with any injury starts with the diagnostics. In order to form an effective treatment plan your doctor MUST know what was injured. Luckily, when it comes to spinal injuries, there are only 3 ways that the spine typically injures; you can fracture the vertebrae, you can injure the disc (herniations & bulges), or you can injure the spinal support ligaments that hold your both your spine and you spinal discs in proper alignment.