Spinal Cord Injury Facts

The spinal cord is a collection of nerves that travels from the bottom of the brain down your back. There are 31 pairs of nerves that leave the spinal cord and go to your arms, legs, chest and abdomen. These nerves allow your brain to give commands to your muscles and cause movements of your arms and legs. The spinal cord runs through the spinal canal. This canal is surrounded by the bones in your neck and back called vertebrae which make up your back bone. The vertebrae are divided into 7 neck (cervical) vertebrae, 12 chest (thoracic) vertebrae and 5 lower back (lumbar) vertebrae. The vertebrae help protect the spinal cord from injury.

 The spinal cord is very sensitive to injury. Unlike other parts of your body, the spinal cord does not have the ability to repair itself if it is damaged. A spinal cord injury occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord either from trauma, loss of its normal blood supply, or compression from tumor or infection.

Spinal cord injury can be either complete or incomplete. In complete injuries there is no function below the level of injury. In incomplete injuries there is some function remaining below the level of injury.

Early immobilization and treatment are the most important factors in achieving recovery from spinal cord injury. Aggressive rehabilitation and assistive devices allow even people with severe spinal cord injuries to interact in society and remain productive.

What are the causes of spinal cord injury?

The most common cause of spinal cord injury is trauma. Nearly half of the injuries are caused by motor vehicle accidents. Other types of trauma include: Falls from heights, violence (stabbing or gunshot wounds to the spine), and Sporting injuries (diving, football, rugby, equestrian, etc.).

All tissues in your body including the spinal cord require a good blood supply to deliver oxygen and other nutrients. Failure of this blood supply to the spinal cord can cause spinal cord injury. This can be caused by an aneurysm (ballooning of a blood vessel), compression of a blood vessel or a prolonged drop in blood pressure.

Injuries to the spinal cord can cause weakness or complete loss of muscle function and loss of sensation in the body below the level of injury, loss of control of the bowels and bladder, and loss of normal sexual function. Spinal cord injuries in the upper neck can cause difficulty breathing and may require the use of a breathing machine, or ventilator. An injury to the upper portion of the spinal cord in the neck can cause quadriplegia-paralysis of both arms and both legs. If the injury to the spinal cord occurs lower in the back it can cause paraplegia-paralysis of both legs only. Many spinal cord injury survivors are confused by the difference between quadriplegia, tetraplegia, paraplegia. The truth is that quadriplegia and tetraplegia actually refer to the same condition.

Tetraplegia/quadriplegia

Quadriplegia, sometimes referred to as tetraplegia, refers to a spinal cord injury above the first thoracic vertebra, or within the cervical sections of C1-C8. The result is some degree of paralysis in all four limbs—the legs and arms. Tetraplegia/quadriplegia can be so severe that it interferes with the injured person's ability to breathe on his or her own. Generally speaking, the higher up the injury is, the more extensive the damage will be.

The degree of paralysis varies depending on the nature of the injury, the extent to which you've undergone rehabilitative therapy etc. Most doctors now use the term tetraplegia to denote this injury, but patients often continue to use quadriplegia.

Paraplegia

Paraplegia occurs in spinal cord injuries below the first thoracic spinal levels (T1-L5). Paraplegics are able to fully use their arms and hands, but the degree to which their legs are disabled depends on the injury. Some paraplegics are completely paralyzed from the waist down. Others suffer only minor mobility issues, tingling in the legs, or decreased sensations in the lower body.

Not all spinal cord injuries result in tetraplegia (quadriplegia) or paraplegia. Lower spinal cord injuries can cause varying issues. For instance, injury to the lumbar region of the spine can cause a condition known as cauda equine syndrome, which interferes with bladder, sexual, and leg function.

          After the initial treatment and stabilization of patients with a spinal cord injury, much of the treatment is geared toward rehabilitation. This includes methods to help the patient maximize their function through physical and occupational therapy and the use of assistive devices.

The Spinal Cord Injury Program at AVA Rehabilitation Center offers you the most comprehensive rehabilitation program. The program begins in the acute hospital and supports you throughout your inpatient stay, outpatient therapies, and follow up care and beyond.