Spinal Cord Injury: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. Most injuries to the spinal cord don't completely sever it. ...
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A spinal cord injury is a catastrophic personal injury which damages the conduit that delivers the brain's messages to the rest of the body. Usually the result of a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine, a spinal cord injury results when the vertebrae are fractured, dislocated, or bruised, or when the spinal cord is crushed. When this occurs, the victim often loses function or sensation in his or her extremities. Spinal cord injuries often result in permanent paralysis .
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the nerves within the spinal canal. Most SCI's are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, thereby affecting the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages from the brain to the body's systems that control sensory, motor and autonomic function below the level of injury.
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A spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when there is traumatic injury to the spinal cord resulting in a loss of function, such as mobility and sensation, below the level of injury. The part of the spine that is injured and the severity of the injury will dictate how much function is lost. Most spinal cord injuries do not result in a severance of the spinal cord, but in a fracture of the vertebrae that compresses the cord, causing injury.
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What are the signs of a spinal cord injury?
The symptoms of a spinal cord injury generally depend on two factors: the location of the injury and the severity of the injury. When a spinal cord injury occurs higher on the spinal column, the victim suffers more extensive paralysis. A victim with a “partial” spinal cord injury may retain some sensation or motor function below the affected area. “Complete” spinal cord injuries are defined by complete loss of motor function and sensation below the affected area. ...
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Signs of a spinal cord injury (SCI) include extreme pain or pressure in the neck, head or back; tingling and loss of sensation (feeling) in the hand, fingers, feet, or toes; partial or complete loss of control over any part of the body; impaired or difficulty breathing after the injury; and unusual bumps on the head or spine. You should work with your primary health care provider to determine your exact injury and contact an attorney if you believe the cause of your injury is due to the negligence of someone else.
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Extreme pain or pressure in the neck, head or back Tingling or loss of sensation in the hand, fingers, feet, or toes Partial or complete loss of control over any part of the body Impaired breathing after injury Unusual bumps on the head or spine
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Is there a cure for Spinal Cord Injury?
Currently there is not. However in the recent years there have been ground braking scientific discoveries regarding the repair and regeneration capabilities of the central nervous system including the spinal cord. These advances in basic science lead researchers to believe that spinal cord repair and functional recovery in humans are possible and probably available within the not too far future. ...
Source: wisedoctors.com
Damage to the spinal cord due to an injury can be permanent and currently there is no cure, however new research proves that spinal cord repair and regeneration is possible. More and more researchers around the world are confident that a cure for paralysis could be as close as ten years away. New breakthroughs and discoveries leading to a cure are imminent.
Source: www.spinalcordinjuries.net
How is sexuality affected by Spinal Cord Injury?
It depends on the level of injury but it can have an enormous impact upon sexual functions. Erection may be partial or absent, orgasm altered or impossible, and fertility severely impaired. This is a very complex topic and impossible to cover in this Q&A; format. We may add a chapter on this topic to this site in the future. ...
Source: wisedoctors.com
Sexual function, as in all other human bodily systems, is controlled by the central nervous system. Thus, any injury to the central nervous system will affect sexual function. The question is to what extent function and sensation will be affected with injuries at various levels and degrees of severity. Also, in what ways do the symptoms manifest themselves in males v. females. As one can imagine, this is a vast and complex subject that cannot be adequately treated in just a few paragraphs.
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Sexual function, as in all other human bodily systems, is controlled by the central nervous system. Thus, any injury to the central nervous system will affect sexual function. The question is to what extent function and sensation will be affected with injuries at various levels and degrees of severity. Also, in what ways do the symptoms manifest themselves in males v. females. As one can imagine, this is a vast and complex subject that cannot be adequately treated in just a few paragraphs. ...
Source: www.spinal-injury.net
What is spinal cord injury? Quadriplegia and paraplegia?
Lesion of the spinal cord that results in paralysis of certain areas of the body, along with the corresponding loss of sensation. Paraplegia refers to paralysis from approximately the waist down and quadriplegia refers to paralysis from approximately the shoulders down. Most spinal cord injuries result in loss of sensation and function below the level of injury, including loss of controlled function of the bladder and bowel.
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Who can sue for a spinal cord injury?
Anybody, child or adult, whose spinal cord injury was caused by somebody else’s fault.
Anyone who suffers a spinal cord injury as a result of another party's reckless, careless, or negligent actions may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Whether your spinal cord injury was sustained in an auto accident, workplace accident, or as the result of a dangerous product or unsafe premises, you can bring a claim against the responsible party.
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Anyone. A child or adult whose injury was caused by someone else’s negligence.
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Anyone who is not seriously at fault themselves as long as they can prove that some other person or entity is more at fault and that their fault has caused this serious injury.
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What are the effects of spinal cord injury?
Generally, the higher the injury is along the backbone, the more sensation and movement someone will lose or diminish. An injury at the neck level may cause paralysis in all extremities (quadriplegia), while an injury at the mid-back level may affect only the legs and lower parts of the body (paraplegia). A complete injury results in a total loss of sensation and movement below the level of injury. An incomplete injury results in only partial loss of sensation or movement. ...
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The most common effect of a spinal cord injury is loss of functioning and feeling below the location of the spinal injury. About 45 percent of all SCIs result in a complete loss of feeling and sensation, while the remaining 55 percent lose partial sensation and functioning only. Both complete injuries and partial injuries occur in paraplegic and tetraplegic injuries.
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What are the symptoms of spinal cord injury?
Severe SCI often causes paralysis (loss of control over voluntary movement and muscles of the body) and loss of sensation and reflex function below the point of injury, including autonomic activity such as breathing and other activities such as bowel and bladder control. Other symptoms such as pain or sensitivity to stimuli, muscle spasms, and sexual dysfunction may develop over time. SCI patients are also prone to develop secondary medical problems, such as bladder infections, lung infections, and bedsores.
Extreme pain or a stinging sensation in the neck, head, or back Loss of sensation in hands, fingers, feet, or toes Loss of voluntary movement Loss of control over bowels or bladder Sexual dysfunction Difficulty breathing
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It is not always evident that a person has a SCI, especially if it is caused by the onset of an illness or growth of a tumor. Symptoms may include weakness, poor coordination, numbness or tingling, loss of sensation, loss of bowel or bladder control, paralysis and pain.
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What are the causes of Spinal Cord Injury?
The most common causes of spinal cord injury are car and other motor vehicle collisions, falls, and other medical conditions and sports injuries. The injury is usually caused by sudden impact, which crushes the spine and cord.
Who is at a high risk of a spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injuries are usually unforeseen – the result of a tragic accident or crime. However, studies show that some people are at a higher risk for spinal injuries: Men make up almost 80 percent of spinal cord injuries. Young adults and the elderly are most commonly injured. People involved in high-impact sports like football, rugby, wrestling, gymnastics, diving, skiing, or snowboarding have a higher risk of spinal cord injury.
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What is a “complete” spinal cord injury?
A complete spinal cord injury is defined as the total loss of motor skill and function below the site of the injury. Victims of complete spinal cord injuries are unable to feel any physical sensation below that spot as well. By contrast, victims of partial (or “incomplete”) spinal cord injuries may still retain some feeling and movement capabilities below the injury site.
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What are some of the causes of spinal cord injury?
Most spinal cord injuries stem from trauma to the spine. Some of the most common causes of trauma are: Auto accidents Motorcycle accidents Collisions with other people (football for example) Slip and fall accidents Damage to the vertebrae can cut or pinch the spinal cord, cutting off the neurological signals from the brain that control the various body functions. Once those signals are blocked, temporary or permanent paralysis occurs.
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Who is most susceptible to a spinal cord injury?
Men suffer about 80 percent of all spinal cord injuries, with the average victim being about 38 years old. But there has been an increase in recent years in both the age of sufferers and the number of women experiencing spinal cord injuries. back to top Return to Spinal Cord home page
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Who survives spinal cord injury victims?
Statistics reveal that about 80 to 85 percent of victims survive spinal cord injuries. These statistics count victims who survive for the fist 24 hours following their accident.
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What is spinal cord injury (SCI)?
SCI is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling. Frequent causes of damage are trauma (car accident, falls, diving etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia etc.). The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal cord is intact, but the damage due to compression or bruising to it results in loss of functioning. ...
Source: www.scia.org.au
Who is at the highest risk for a spinal cord injury?
Of the 10,000-12,000 spinal cord injuries that occur in the United States every year, more than 80 percent of the injuries are suffered by young men between the ages of 16 and 30.
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