Central Nervous System – Spinal Cord Injury
The spine is one of the major parts of the central nervous system and works with the
brain. The spinal cord sends messages from the brain throughout the body. Should the spinal cord
become injured, certain senses may be affected. The patient may have injured his spinal cord as
evidenced by his loss of feeling and mobility in the upper and lower extremities. While the MRI
determined the spinal cord was intact, it did show a fracture to the C7 vertebrae which is the
largest vertebrae in the neck. It also showed swelling between C7 and T2, T2 is in the thoracic
cavity
Peripheral Nervous System
The peripheral nervous system includes nerves that branch off the spine and brain, which
are the major parts of the central nervous system. Since the patient suffered from a head wound
with significant blood loss, this suggests a peripheral nervous system injury.
Cranial Nerves Involvement
Sensory and motor skills are controlled by the cranial nerves. The case study is broad and
only states a head injury, but not much information is given on it because a neurological exam
has yet to be conducted. The presence of a head injury could potentially affect the patient's
cranial nerves.
Hyperactive Reflexes
When reflex responses become over, they become hyperactive. In this case, the patient
likely suffered from a central nervous system injury, which could affect the communication
between the upper and lower motor neurons.
The Babinski Reflex
