Spinal Cord Injury healthcare information in one catch

What is SCI? Effects of SCI Overview

The initial injury Injuries to the spinal cord, either following an accident, or as a result of non-traumatic causes, do not usually cut through the cord, but rather they cause the nerves in the cord to be damaged in some way, so that they are unable to send messages properly. This means that the brain can no longer communicate fully with the rest of the body, which will result in at least some loss of movement and/or sensation. The level of loss depends on the position and severity of the damage to the cord – the higher and more extensive the injury, the greater the loss of functioning. For up to about six weeks after a traumatic spinal cord injury there will be bruising and swelling around the area of the cord that has been damaged – a period called ‘spinal shock’. This swelling itself may cause further damage to the spinal cord. During spinal shock, no messages can pass through the nerves in the injured area, even if some of them are not actually damaged. This will make the loss of function below the injury appear complete, and it is only once the swelling subsides that the true extent of the damage will become clearer, with the possibility of recovery of some sensation and movement. The extent of the damage Damage to the spinal cord may be complete or incomplete. Complete damage to the spinal cord causes total and usually permanent loss of movement and sensation in the body areas below the level of injury. Incomplete damage is when the cord is not totally damaged at the level of injury. Some sensation and/or movement remain in the body areas below the level of injury. The specific symptoms and their severity vary from person to person, depending on the extent and type of damage to the cord – including for example whether the front, back, side or centre of the cord has been damaged. According to these symptoms, incomplete damage can be classified into several different groups or syndromes. For example, anterior cord syndrome is the name given to symptoms that occur when the front of the cord is damaged, such as loss of muscle control and reduced sense of pain and temperature. Follow this link for more details on incomplete SCI syndromes. Paralysis – paraplegia and tetraplegia Paralysis is a general term used to describe the loss of movements and/or sensation following damage to the nervous system. Knowing the precise level of the injury is helpful in predicting which parts of the body will be affected by paralysis and loss of function. Paraplegia - this term describes complete or incomplete paralysis, affecting the legs and possibly also the trunk, but not the arms. The extent to which the trunk is affected depends on the level of spinal cord injury. Paraplegia is the result of damage to the cord at T1 and below. Tetraplegia (also called quadriplegia) - This term describes the complete or incomplete paralysis from the neck downwards, affecting all four limbs and the trunk. This is the result of damage to the spinal cord between C1 and C8. (See figure ‘Paraplegia and Tetraplegia’.) Click here for more information..

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