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Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on 07. Aug, 2009 by Admin in Uncategorized

The location and severity of the spinal cord injury will determine the symptoms that the victim has.  Spinal cord injuries that are higher up in the spinal cord tend to have the most detrimental outcomes, and produce a greater level of paralysis.  As an example, a spinal cord injury that is inflicted around the neck area may cause paralysis in the limbs (arms and legs) and necessitate the victim needing a respirator just to breathe while a spinal cord injury lower down on the spine may affect the legs and lower body parts only.  The severity of a spinal cord injury is classified as partial (incomplete) or complete, and that classification is determined by the extent to which the spinal cord has been affected.  With a partial spinal cord injury, the spinal cord retains some of its functionality and can send a certain amount of messages to and receive messages from the brain; the victim retains partial sensation and partial motor function.  A complete spinal cord injury involves total or nearly total loss of sensation and motor functioning below the area that is injured.  A partial spinal cord injury has a better prognosis than a complete.   Both types of spinal cord injuries can cause pain, loss of movement, loss of sensation, loss of bladder or bowel control, change in sexual functions, and difficulty breathing.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injury

In the U.S., the most common causes of spinal cord injury and trauma include:

• Motor vehicle accidents – accounting for nearly half of all spinal cord injuries.  This includes both automobile and motorcycle accidents.
• Violence –around fifteen percent of spinal cord injury incidences occur as a result of an act of violence, mainly knife and gunshot wounds.
• Falls – after age 65, most reports of spinal cord injury are caused by falls; falls make up twenty-two percent of spinal cord injuries overall.
• Sports and recreation – impact sports and diving (shallow water) account for around eight percent of spinal cord injury occurrences.
• Disease – cancer, arthritis, infection, and inflammation can result in spinal cord injuries.

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