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A spinal cord injury involves damage to any part of the spinal cord. Damage to the cauda equina, or end of the spinal cord, nerves, may also be a possibility. Signals between the brain and the body's other organs are transmitted and received via the spinal cord. Below the site of the injury, a spinal cord injury frequently results in lifelong impairments to feeling, strength, and other bodily processes. Individuals with spinal cord injuries may also have psychological, emotional, and social repercussions.
Symptoms of spinal cord injury:
The ability to control your arms or legs after a spinal cord injury depends on two factors. One factor is where the injury occurred on the spinal cord. The other factor is how bad the injury is.
The lowest part of the spinal cord not damaged after an injury is known as the neurological level of the injury. "The completeness" of the injury refers to how much feeling, known as sensation, is lost. Completeness is classified as:
- Complete: If all feeling and all ability to control movement are lost below the spinal cord injury, the injury is called complete.
- Incomplete: If some feeling and control of movement remain below the affected area, the injury is called incomplete. There are varying degrees of incomplete injury.
Spinal cord injuries can cause the following symptoms:
- Loss of movement.
- Loss of or a change in sensation. This includes a change in the ability to feel heat, cold and touch.
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms.
- Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility.
- Pain or an intense stinging sensation caused by damage to the nerve fibers in the spinal cord.
- Trouble breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from the lungs.
Causes of spinal cord injury: Spinal cord injuries can happen for many reasons. Possible causes include:
- Motor vehicle crashes: These are the most common causes. They make up more than 37% of all SCIs.
- Falls: They make up about 31% of all SCIs.
- Violence-related injuries: This includes penetrating injuries from bullets or sharp objects like knives. They make up about 15% of all SCIs.
- Sports-related injuries: These account for about 8% of SCIs. Diving is the most common sports-related spinal cord injury.
Other common causes of or contributing factors to spinal cord injuries include:
- Conditions that make it easier for your bones to break, like osteopenia and osteoporosis.
- Spine tumors, including cancers.
- Cysts or fluid-filled cavities within your spinal cord.
- Infections that attack your spinal cord, or cause swelling and inflammation in surrounding tissues that then press on your spinal cord.
- Lack of blood flow to your spinal cord.
Diagnosis of spinal cord injury:
- A physical exam: Your provider does this to look for clues or evidence of the injury’s extent.
- A neurological exam: Your provider will do this to test specific abilities of your nervous system.
- Imaging scans: Examples include computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
- Diagnostic tests: Examples of these include electromyography and nerve conduction tests. They measure electrical signals reaching your muscles, which can help locate nerve or spinal cord damage interfering with signals.
This type of traditional therapy involves a lot of hands-on therapy, exercises, and stretching maneuvers to facilitate movement. The goal is to help a patient manage pain, improve circulation, prevent or reduce muscle atrophy, contractures, and weakness, and improve their overall health and wellness. This is done by helping to retrain your brain and body in an attempt to regain some or all lost mobility.
There are many different types of physiotherapy treatment techniques, including:
- Muscle stretching,
- Massage therapy,
- Joint manipulation,
- Acupuncture, and
- Neurodynamic exercises
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