spinal cord injury (SCI)

Examples of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the following topics:

• Spinal Cord Trauma

  • A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma and not disease.
  • SCI can have a number of causes; examples include motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, and violence.
  • A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease.
  • The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) first published an international classification of spinal cord injury in 1982, called the International Standards for Neurological and Functional Classification of Spinal Cord Injury.
  • An incomplete spinal cord injury involves preservation of motor or sensory function below the level of injury in the spinal cord.

• Autonomic Dysreflexia

  • Autonomic dysreflexia is an acute reaction of the autonomic nervous system to overstimulation in patients with previous spinal cord injury.
  • AD occurs most often in spinal cord-injured individuals with spinal lesions above the T6 spinal cord level although it has been known to occur in patients with a lesion as low as T10 .
  • The sympathetic discharge that occurs is usually in association with spinal cord injury (SCI) or disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis).
  • Older patients with very incomplete spinal cord injuries and systolic hypertension without symptoms are usually experiencing essential hypertension, not autonomic dysreflexia.
  • Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) occurs most often in spinal cord-injured individuals with spinal lesions above the T6 spinal cord level, although, it has been known to occur in patients with a lesion as low as T10.

• Spinal Cord

  • The spinal cord also controls motor reflexes.
  • In the United States, there around 10,000 spinal cord injuries each year.
  • The extent of the paralysis depends on the location of the injury along the spinal cord and whether the spinal cord was completely severed.
  • Spinal cord injuries are notoriously difficult to treat because spinal nerves do not regenerate, although ongoing research suggests that stem cell transplants may be able to act as a bridge to reconnect severed nerves.
  • This cooling can prevent swelling and other processes that are thought to worsen spinal cord injuries.

• Spinal Cord Compression

  • Spinal cord compression occurs when the spinal cord is compressed by bone fragments.
  • Spinal cord compression develops when the spinal cord is compressed by bone fragments from a vertebral fracture, a tumor, abscess, ruptured intervertebral disc, or other lesion .
  • It is regarded as a medical emergency independent of its cause, and requires swift diagnosis and treatment to prevent long-term disability due to irreversible spinal cord injury.
  • Dexamethasone (a potent glucocorticoid) in doses of 16 mg/day may reduce edema around the lesion and protect the cord from injury.
  • In spinal cord compression, the spinal cord (shown here) may be compressed by bone fragments from a vertebral fracture, a tumor, abscess, ruptured intervertebral disc, or other lesion.

• Injuries to Nerves Emerging from the Brachial Plexus

  • The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that conducts signals from the spinal cord, which is housed in the spinal canal of the vertebral column (or spine), to the shoulder, arm, and hand.
  • These nerves originate in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth cervical (C5-C8), and first thoracic (T1) spinal nerves, and innervate the muscles and skin of the chest, shoulder, arm, and hand.
  • Obstetric injuries may occur from mechanical injury involving shoulder dystocia during difficult childbirth.
  • Brachial plexus lesions typically result from excessive stretching; from rupture injury, where the nerve is torn but not at the spinal cord; or from avulsion injuries, where the nerve is torn from its attachment at the spinal cord.
  • The severity of nerve injuries may vary from a mild stretch to the nerve root tearing away from the spinal cord (avulsion).

• Fractures of the Vertebral Column

  • A spinal fracture (or vertebral fracture) is a fracture affecting the bones of the spinal column.
  • A spinal fracture (or vertebral fracture) is a fracture affecting the bones of the spinal column.
  • Abnormal movement of bones or pieces of bone can cause spinal cord injury resulting in loss of sensation, paralysis, or death.
  • Severe pain will usually be present at the point of injury.
  • Immobilization is imperative to minimize or prevent further spinal cord injury.

• The Nervous System

  • The vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) contains the brain and the spinal cord .
  • CSF also functions to circulate chemical substances throughout the brain and into the spinal cord.
  • The central nervous system (2) is a combination of the brain (1) and the spinal cord (3).
  • The outermost layer of the meninges is the dura mater, which protects the brain and spinal cord.
  • The innermost layer is the pia mater, which directly covers the brain and spinal cord.

• Paralysis

  • Paralysis describes the loss of function in a muscle or muscle groups, typically caused by damage to the spinal cord.
  • Paralysis is most often caused by damage in the nervous system, especially the spinal cord.
  • Most paralyses caused by nervous-system damage (i.e. spinal-cord injuries) are constant in nature; however, some forms of periodic paralysis, including sleep paralysis, are caused by other factors.
  • After 24 hours, the chance of recovery declines rapidly, since with continued pressure, the spinal cord tissue deteriorates and dies.
  • This is a deterioration of nerves in the spinal cord, starting in the posterior part of the cord.

• Function and Physiology of the Spinal Nerves

  • Spinal nerves connect the brain and spinal cord to the limbs and organs of the body.
  • The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of the nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and spinal cord.
  • Unlike the CNS, the PNS is not protected by the bones of the spine and skull, or by the blood–brain barrier, leaving it exposed to toxins and mechanical injuries.
  • The term spinal nerve generally refers to a mixed spinal nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body.
  • If the spinal cord is transected above C3, then spontaneous breathing is not possible.

• Spinal Tap

  • A spinal needle is inserted between the lumbar vertebrae L3/L4 or L4/L5 and pushed into the subarachnoid space.
  • The stylet from the spinal needle is then withdrawn and drops of cerebrospinal fluid are collected.
  • They include spinal or epidural bleeding and trauma to the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots resulting in weakness or loss of sensation, or even paraplegia.
  • The latter is exceedingly rare, since the level at which the spinal cord ends is several vertebral spaces above the proper location for a lumbar puncture.
  • Increased levels of lactate can occur the presence of cancer of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis, low blood pressure, low serum phosphorus, respiratory alkalosis, idiopathic seizures, traumatic brain injury, cerebral ischemia, brain abscess, hydrocephalus, or bacterial meningitis.