Spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a damage to the spinal cord that results in loss of function, such as mobility or feeling. Frequent causes of damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot, falls, 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 to it results in loss of functioning. SCI is very different from back injuries such as ruptured disks, spinal stenosis or pinched nerves.

Causes

A spinal cord injury can occur either from an injury or from disease. The most common types of SCI include:

• Contusion (bruising of the spinal cord)
• Compression (caused by pressure on the spinal cord)
• Other types of injuries include lacerations (severing or tearing of some nerve fibers, such as damage caused by a gunshot wound), and central cord syndrome (specific damage to the corticospinal tracts of the cervical region of the spinal cord).

Symptoms

Symptoms of a spinal cord injury may include:

• Loss of movement
• Loss of sensation, including 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 your spinal cord
• Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from your lungs

Treatment

Treatment for a spinal cord injury often begins with surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and manage any fractures. Thereafter, medications and therapies are used to manage symptoms and improve quality of life. These may include:

• Medications to manage pain and other symptoms
• Immobilization to allow the spine to heal
• Surgery to stabilize the spine or prevent further damage
• Rehabilitation therapy to improve mobility and function

See also

• Spinal cord
• Spinal cord diseases
• Spinal cord tumor
• Spinal cord compression

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