What a horrific scene. Someone in one of my courses inquired as to whether it was possible to murder someone by twisting their neck, as shown in movies.
Here's what occurs on the anatomical and physiological side of things. They're picturing that the neck fractures at C1 or C2 and that bits of it go up into the upper spine, where they disable breathing and heart rate control mechanisms.
Although it is a more gradual death than shown in the movies, someone might quickly become paralyzed if those chards tear off the vital sections of the spinal cord.
So if you break your neck do you die?
Reality-wise:
It's more difficult than it appears in the movies. Although it seems to be simple to twist and pop the opponent's neck the way they do, the opponent is really straining.
In real life, the neck muscles are far more powerful than they look in movies. Someone will need a firm hold and the ability to shatter a precise location.
A C2 fracture may be fatal, but in order for it to occur, a great deal of power must be used, much more than what is seen in the movies. An automobile accident is a common cause of this fracture. A C2 fracture of this kind is referred to as a "hangman's fracture," which is discussed more below in relation to hanging.
Tangent:
This reminds me of a time when I was asked to assist in the creation of a realistic-looking Halloween film. I believe it was between 2005 and 2007.
During a script reading session, the authors and producer inquired as to how long it would take to murder someone who is confined in a box or imprisoned in the trunk of a vehicle.
Because of the size of the package, I implied that it would take a long time to unpack the contents. In this case, the person would suffocate, then panic and pass out on the floor. It's possible that recovery is still possible at this point, but it will be a long and uninteresting death.
That goes without saying that it was not what they were looking for. They compensated me for my work on the project but then fired me from the project. I'm not even sure I made it into the credits.
What occurs in the movies does not necessarily occur in real life, and vice versa. Real-life may be tedious at times. Real-life does not always result in the sale of tickets.
Other neck breaks resulting in hanging:
The terrible debate got me thinking about hanging deaths, something I had never considered before. This was something I recall learning about in pathology class. If the neck is shattered, which involves a great deal of force, they believe that the C2 (again) breaks off and causes the spine to be severed.
Without sufficient force, it is probable that the individual may choke and die as a result of the suffocation.
Superman: Additional neck breaks.
Christopher Reeve, who became a quadriplegic following a horse-riding accident, comes to mind when I think of this. His break is an illustration of what might occur when a C1-C2 fracture occurs.
According to a Wikipedia article, it seems that the horse came to an abrupt halt, causing him to be flung to the ground and crash on his head. His helmet protected his skull from any fractures, but the impact of his 200-pound bulk on his neck produced a fracture in the area where the helmet had protected him.
Because I feel responsible, I'll provide footnotes:
Take responsibility for your actions! Please do not allow me to become a party to murder or suicide. If you (or someone you know) are in need of assistance, seek it. Material products such as those I mentioned above may be obtained in abundance online with a simple Google search (which is what I did, to add to some of my background knowledge). We selected some of the most interesting topics from martial arts websites and forums.
I hope that this and any other posts on my site may aid my former students in their understanding of anatomy (and sometimes physiology and microbiology). We're concentrating on the medical elements of the situation - attempting to comprehend topics that are seldom spoken, and without any restrictions, if I can help it.
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