Accessed Aug. 16, 2019. [10] Paraplegia occurs when the legs are affected by the spinal cord damage (in thoracic, lumbar, or sacral injuries), and tetraplegia occurs when all four limbs are affected (cervical damage). Therapeutic research is focused on two main areas: neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. Incomplete spinal cord injuries are increasingly common, thanks in part to better treatment and increased knowledge about how to respond—and how not to respond—due to improved spinal cord injury research. Particularly in the early days after a spinal cord injury, you might be tempted to languish in bed. [141] Hindu texts dating back to 1800 BC also mention SCI and describe traction techniques to straighten the spine. [24] The risk of UTI, likely the most common complication in the long term, is heightened by use of indwelling urinary catheters. In fact, it's safest to assume that trauma victims have a spinal injury until proved otherwise because: The spinal cord extends downward from the base of your brain. From there, doctors will focus on stabilizing you, since the first hours after a spinal cord injury are critical to a patient's survival. [27][29], Posterior cord syndrome, in which just the dorsal columns of the spinal cord are affected, is usually seen in cases of chronic myelopathy but can also occur with infarction of the posterior spinal artery. [73], Stem cell transplantation is an important avenue for SCI research: the goal is to replace lost spinal cord cells, allow reconnection in broken neural circuits by regrowing axons, and to create an environment in the tissues that is favorable to growth. Between 240,000 and 337,000 Americans currently live with a spinal cord injury. [9], In addition to the problems found in lower-level injuries, thoracic (chest height) spinal lesions can affect the muscles in the trunk. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Spinal cord injury can cause a range of symptoms, including weakness, loss of muscle function, and loss of sensation. The severity of the injury is often called "the completeness" and is classified as either of the following: Additionally, paralysis from a spinal cord injury may be referred to as: Your health care team will perform a series of tests to determine the neurological level and completeness of your injury. [4] Multiple sclerosis is a disease that can damage the spinal cord, as can infectious or inflammatory conditions such as tuberculosis, herpes zoster or herpes simplex, meningitis, myelitis, and syphilis. Medications and therapy can help prevent and treat these problems. 32.7 percent of spinal cord injury survivors are married, and the rate of marriage increases as spinal cord injury survivors age, suggesting that a spinal cord injury doesn't have to mean a life free of romantic relationships. [78] SCI may occur in intervertebral disc disease, and spinal cord vascular disease. The reduction of swelling at the site of the injury. [115] Manual abdominal compression is another technique used to increase expiratory flow which later improves coughing. Learn more about spinal cord injury levels, treatments, rehabilitation, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and how the injury will affect the rest of the body. Incomplete injury by definition includes a phenomenon known as sacral sparing: some degree of sensation is preserved in the sacral dermatomes, even though sensation may be more impaired in other, higher dermatomes below the level of the lesion. [147] The creation of emergency medical services to professionally transport people to the hospital is given partial credit for an improvement in outcomes since the 1970s. Spinal cord injury facts and figures at a glance. [114] Weakness of respiratory muscles impairs the ability to cough effectively, allowing secretions to accumulate within the lungs. from breech births or injuries by forceps. [144] However, the idea that SCI was untreatable remained predominant until the early 20th century.