A case study of spinal cord injury

1. Describe the functional anatomy of the spinal cord using the following terms: white matter, gray matter, tracts, roots, and spinal nerves.

Injuries to the spinal cord may be caused indirectly, as by a blow to the head or a fall; by traffic accidents, sports injuries, or violence. The consequences depend on the amount of damage the cord sustains and where the damage occurs. Although spinal injuries are only a small fraction of all injuries; accidents cause an estimated 10,000 spinal cord injuries each year. Each year, more than two million Americans suffer a

Write a brief description of the three slides (Neuron, Spinal Cord Smear and C.S of Myelinated Nerve Fibers) as though you were explaining it to someone who cannot see the slide.

4. A tract in the spinal cord would most likely be found in the white matter.

Now that I have shared a brief overview of the spinal cord and some statistics about spinal cord injuries, we will look at the past research that has led to the treatments most commonly used today. In 1990, a steroid called dexamethasone was discovered in human trials to preserve some motor and sensory function if administered at high doses within 8 hours of injury. Surgery used to remove fluid, tissue, or bone fragments, or to stabilize fractured vertebrae by fusing bones or inserting hardware has also proven to be one of the most thorough measures to prevent further harm. I received both of these treatments after my accident, and they are the same that have been used for the past decade. Until recently, doctors had no way of limiting such disabilities, aside from stabilizing the cord to prevent added destruction, treating infections, and prescribing rehabilitative therapy to maximize any remaining capabilities.

1. (6pts) Diagram a neuron and label its components. In what ways are neurons specialized for communication? How do these specializations distinguish neurons from other types of cells?

     This essay is not intended to criticize any emergency medical or hospital staff. I am writing this essay out of concern for patients who come into the emergency room that may have a jeopardized spinal cord resulting from an injury or suspected injury to their cervical spine. I am a certified emergency medical technician, farm-medic instructor and currently a medical diagnostic student doing clinicial's. In the United States each year there are approximately 10,000 reported cervical spine injuries that come into emergency rooms. Motor vehicle accidents account for approximately 45%, falls approximately 30%, the remaining 25% from sports and miscellaneous. Although only a small amount of

What exactly is the difference between paraplegic and quadriplegic? Although they both deal with the spine, they are rather different in the placing of where the damage will appear. Paraplegic is when the spinal cord has been damaged or the nerve roots due to an injury that occurred to the body. Where if damage occurs in the cervical region, it is known to be quadriplegic (Désert 1996). Such that if one is paraplegic, they would experience paralyzing in the lower body, which consist of the right and left leg. Where as if someone is quadriplegic, they would experience paralyzing of the body; which consist of the right and left arm and right and left leg.

Spine injuries hurt a lot for example your spine can pop outback this up. 2-100,000 get spine injuries.

In the United States, there are approximately 17,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries every year and it is estimated that as of the year 2016 approximately 282,000 people in the United States have an injury to the spinal cord to some degree (NSCISC 2016). The diagnosis of a spinal cord injury includes any damage to the spinal cord, including the nerves associated with it. This kind of injury causes permanent damage to the body by a decrease in strength, sensation, and body functions (Shroff et al. 2017). Spinal cord injuries are particularly hard to treat because each injury is different and the cells associated with the spinal cord are hard to target and treat. In most cases, no improvement functionally is made and the symptoms are permanent.

Having a spinal cord injury can be a very life changing event in many ways. It can affect the ability to function in different daily activities. Spinal cord injury mostly affects people during their early adult 19 years old and an average age at the time of injury of 38 (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center 2006). Since a spinal cord injury affects all systems of the human body, a lot of people who end up with a spinal injury have serious inquires about how their injuries will affect their performance in a sexual relationship. The way you feel about sex and the ability to have sex is important and is different for everyone. Having injury to the spinal cord will have some effect on sexual functions in the body. The level of which sexual

Approximately 11,000 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) occur in the United States each year, contributing to the over 200,000 individuals currently living with SCI. SCI results in tremendous changes in an individual’s life, causing impairments to the musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, integumentary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and sensory systems. Mobility and self-care become limited as well as participation in social and everyday activities when SCI causes paralysis of the muscles below the injury1. An individual who was once independent may now have to depend on others for help in their daily routine. The rehabilitation process plays a major role in helping those with SCI become as independent as possible, and physical therapists

A spinal cord injury does not occur in a single moment. Instead damage will continue to ensue for days to weeks after the initial injury. The initial impact and injury causes the immediate damage and death of oligodendrocytes and motor neurons. However, another wave of damage is caused by the secondary processes that occur after the injury. The spinal cord is a bundle of nervous tissue and neurons protected by the vertebral column that transmits electrical synapses, or messages, from the brain to the rest of the body. It is composed of three layers of membranes and is protected by the bony vertebrae that make up our vertebral column. The spinal cord upon impact will swell and secrete chemicals which will cause an inflammatory response and will kill neighboring cells increasing the amount of functioning lost throughout the body. The swelling can also cut off the blood flow to the

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can be dated back to the Egyptains, “who described it as an ailment not to be treated” (Sarhan, Saif, & Saif, 2012 p .319). SCI victims had no hope for a normalized future and were confined to wheelchairs and experienced poor survival rates because of the demands of care. Advancements in emergency care and rehabilitation practices increase neurological function to the spine which has increased the SCI victim’s changes of survival and return to normal locomotion. The spinal column can be divided into “31 segments” and “comprise seven cervical, twelve thoracic, five lumbar and five sacral vertebral segments” which protect the spinal cord (Sarhan, et al. p. 319 & 320). The nerves of the spinal column relay biological information to and from the brain by ascending and descending tracts. A SCI occurs when acute trauma is generated to the spinal cord. Significant pathology and pathophysiology damage blocks communication between the brain and the rest of the body. A person’s motor skills, autonomic functions, and sensations are affected by the initial injury. The higher the injury occurs on the spinal column, the more dysfunctional the person may become. “The primary injury determines a given patient’s neurologic grade on admission and thereby is the strongest prognostic indicator” (Dumont, Okonkwo, Verma, Hurlbert, Boulos, Ellegala, & Dumont, 2001 p. 254). Secondary injuries can occur from vascular, cellular, and/or biochemical changes at the injury site.

Whereas the spinal cord (often referred to as the brainstem) is the pathways that enables nerve impulses to reach their various destinations in the body. The central nervous system main function is to receive information from the different parts of the body, in which must be analysed and stored in order for it to send out instructions based on those pieces of information. The central nervous system’s main function is to coordinate the numerous organs and muscles required to perform the individual’s desired action(s) (Walker, 2005).