Whether the cause is traumatic or nontraumatic, the damage affects the nerve fibers passing through the injured area and can impair part of or all the muscles and nerves below the injury site.Ī chest (thoracic) or lower back (lumbar) injury can affect your torso, legs, bowel and bladder control, and sexual function. Sensory tracts carry signals from body parts to your brain relating to heat, cold, pressure, pain and the position of your limbs. Motor tracts carry signals from your brain to control muscle movement. Tracts in your spinal cord carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body. Below this region is a group of nerve roots called the cauda equina. The lower end of your spinal cord stops a little above your waist in the region called the conus medullaris. It extends down from the base of your brain and contains nerve cells and groups of nerves called tracts, which go to different parts of your body. The spinal cord is made of soft tissue and surrounded by bones (vertebrae). The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord. It can also result from a gunshot or knife wound that penetrates and cuts your spinal cord.Īdditional damage usually occurs over days or weeks because of bleeding, swelling, inflammation and fluid accumulation in and around your spinal cord.Ī nontraumatic spinal cord injury can be caused by arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections or disk degeneration of the spine. Spinal cord injuries can result from damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or disks of the spinal column or to the spinal cord itself.Ī traumatic spinal cord injury can stem from a sudden, traumatic blow to your spine that fractures, dislocates, crushes or compresses one or more of your vertebrae. It's made up of nerve cells and groups of nerves that carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body. The spinal cord extends downward from the base of your brain. Provide basic first aid, such as stopping bleeding and making the person comfortable, without moving the head or neck.Place heavy towels on both sides of the neck or hold the head and neck to prevent them from moving until emergency care arrives.Call 911 or your local emergency medical assistance number.Don't move the injured person - permanent paralysis and other serious complications can result.If you suspect that someone has a back or neck injury: The time between injury and treatment can be critical in determining the extent and severity of complications and the possible extent of expected recovery.Numbness or paralysis can be immediate or come on gradually.If it isn't known, a more severe injury may occur. A serious spinal injury isn't always immediately obvious.In fact, it's safest to assume that trauma victims have a spinal injury until proved otherwise because:
Extreme back pain or pressure in your neck, head or back.Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from your lungsĮmergency signs and symptoms of a spinal cord injury after an accident include:.Pain or an intense stinging sensation caused by damage to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord.Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility.Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms.
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Your health care team will perform a series of tests to determine the neurological level and completeness of your injury.
This paralysis affects all or part of the trunk, legs and pelvic organs. Also known as quadriplegia, this means that your arms, hands, trunk, legs and pelvic organs are all affected by your spinal cord injury. There are varying degrees of incomplete injury.Īdditionally, paralysis from a spinal cord injury can be referred to as: If you have some motor or sensory function below the affected area, your injury is called incomplete. If all feeling (sensory) and all ability to control movement (motor function) are lost below the spinal cord injury, your injury is called complete. The severity of the injury is often called "the completeness" and is classified as either of the following: The lowest part of your spinal cord that remains undamaged after an injury is referred to as the neurological level of your injury. Your ability to control your limbs after a spinal cord injury depends on two factors: where the injury occurred on your spinal cord and the severity of injury. Paralysis below the neck, including both arms and legs, is called quadriplegia. Paralysis of the lower half of the body is called paraplegia.
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