- What are the signs and symptoms
- What to do when an injury is suspected
- Main causes
- How the diagnosis is made
- What is the treatment
Spinal trauma is an injury that occurs in any region of the spinal cord, which can cause permanent changes in motor and sensory functions in the region of the body below the injury. The traumatic injury can be complete, in which there is a total loss of motor and sensory function below the place where the injury occurs, or incomplete, in which this loss is partial.
Trauma can occur during a fall or a traffic accident, for example, which are situations that must be attended to immediately in order to avoid aggravating the injury. Unfortunately, there is still no treatment that reverses the damage caused by spinal cord trauma, however, there are measures that help to prevent the injury from getting worse and help the person adapt to a new lifestyle.
What are the signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of spinal cord injury depend on the severity of the injury and the region where it occurs. The person can become paraplegic, when only the part of the trunk, legs and pelvic region is affected, or quadriplegic, when the whole body is affected below the neck.
Spinal cord injuries can result in the following signs and symptoms:
- Loss of movement; Loss or alteration of sensitivity to heat, cold, pain or touch; Muscle spasms and exaggerated reflexes; Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity or fertility; Pain or stinging sensation; Difficulty breathing or eliminating secretions from the lungs; Loss of bladder or bowel control.
Although bladder and bowel control is lost, these structures continue to function normally. The bladder continues to store urine and the intestine continues to perform its functions in digestion, however, there is difficulty in communication between the brain and these structures to eliminate urine and feces, increasing the risk of developing infections or forming stones in the kidneys.
In addition to these symptoms, at the time of the injury there may also be severe back pain or pressure on the neck and head, weakness, incoordination or paralysis in any region of the body, numbness, tingling and loss of sensation in the hands, fingers and feet, difficulty to walk and maintain balance, difficulty breathing or even twisted neck or back position.
What to do when an injury is suspected
After an accident, a fall or something that may have caused spinal cord trauma, you should avoid moving the injured person and immediately call a medical emergency.
In addition, one should keep the person immobilized and, if possible, place heavy towels on both sides of the neck, in order to hold the head and prevent it from moving until the doctors arrive and put on a cervical vest, and if applicable, stop any bleeding that occurs.
Main causes
Spinal trauma can result from damage to vertebrae, ligaments or spinal discs or damage directly to the spinal cord itself, due to traffic accidents, falls, fighting, violent sports, diving in a place with little water or in an incorrect position, injury to a person. bullet or knife or even for diseases like arthritis, cancer, infection or degeneration of the spinal discs.
The injury can worsen days or weeks after the traumatic accident, due to bleeding, swelling or fluid accumulated around the spinal cord.
How the diagnosis is made
The doctor can use various diagnostic methods to see if there has been a spinal cord injury and the severity of that injury. For this, you can use X-rays that reveal vertebral problems, tumors, fractures or other changes in the spine.
In addition, you can also use a CT scan to better see the abnormalities detected on the X-ray, or an MRI scan, which helps to identify herniated discs, blood clots or other factors that can put pressure on the spinal cord.
What is the treatment
It is not yet possible to reverse the damage of a spinal cord injury, however, investigations for possible new treatments are still ongoing. However, what can be done in these cases is to prevent the injury from getting worse and if necessary resort to surgery to remove bone fragments or foreign objects.
In addition, the person can also take medicines that relieve pain, increase muscle tone and improve bladder, bowel and sexual function control, and must be oriented in order to adapt to a new lifestyle, with nursing care and physiotherapy.
For this, it is very important to assemble a rehabilitation team to help the person adapt to their new life, both physically and psychologically. This team must have a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a rehabilitation nurse, a psychologist, a social worker, a nutritionist and a specialist in spinal cord injuries.
Medical assistance at the time of the accident is also very important, as it can prevent the worsening of injuries.
