Alex A Case Study On Spinal Cord Injury

Nerves from each segment of the spinal cord connect to specific regions of the body. The cervical region or neck are referred to as C1 through C8; they control signals to the neck, arms, and hands. The segments in thoracic or upper back region T1 through T12 relay signals to the torso and some parts of the arms. The segments in the upper lumbar or mid-back region just below the ribs, L1 through L5, control signals to the hips and legs. Last, the sacral segments S1 through S5 lie just below the lumbar segments in the mid-back and control signals to the groin, toes, and some parts of the legs. The effects of spinal cord injury at different segments reflect this organization.(SC-Basic Anatomy of Spine-http://www.goes.com/billr/html/_anatomy_of_a_spinal_cord.html)

(THIS WAS AN INFORMATIVE SPEECH I DID FOR MY COM220 CLASS ON THE STAGES OF SPINAL CORD INJURY RESEARCH. IT ACTED AS AN INTRODUCTION TO MY PERSUASIVE SPEECH ON THE BENEFITS OF STEM CELL RESEARCH)

The central nervous system is what connects the brain to the muscles of the body. When a patient has an injury to the spinal cord, movements in certain parts of the body will be affected based on the location of the injury. If the injury affects hand motion then many day to day tasks are affected. This literature review seeks to understand how an injury to the spinal cord impacts movement, and what has been done so far to help those affected by spinal cord injuries.

Spinal cord injuries can be extremely debilitating with significant impairment in autonomic, sensory, and motor function (Coll-Miro et al., 2016). The prevalence in Canada is on the rise with approximately 86,000 individuals suffering from such injuries as of 2010 (Noonan et al., 2012). Spinal cord injuries are generally classified as either traumatic or non-traumatic, depending on etiology (Sabapathy et al., 2015). In addition, they are subdivided into either complete or incomplete, depending on whether the spinal cord section is fully or partially damaged (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015). The latter classification has better clinical outcomes as some neurologic function is reserved (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015). Other subtypes include paraplegia and quadriplegia denoting paralysis of the lower body or all limbs, respectively (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015; Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). The pathogenesis of spinal cord injuries is characterized by primary tissue damage due to the force of impact, followed by secondary tissue damage as a result of the inflammatory response (Sabapathy et al., 2015; Coll-Miro et al., 2015). The symptoms and severity may vary depending on the location and pathology of the contusion (Sabapathy et al., 2015). Presenting symptoms include but are not limited to numbness or pain in the extremities, loss of sensation, impaired movement or gait, abnormal reflexes, disrupted bladder or bowel function, and sexual dysfunction (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Several

Five criteria must be met which includes authority, information, objectivity, ease of navigation and privacy and security policies. The website used for my research was www.christopherreeve.org. The website met the five criteria. Authority was displayed in several ways. The author, Judith Lubinsky is qualified as an expert in the spinal cord injury field. Judith is responsible for web production and social media for the website. The contact information and credentials for the author was clearly stated. Information is updated daily to keep readers informed of any changes. The information posted is accurate and appropriate for the intended audience. The author provides an unbiased comprehensive review of spinal cord injuries and management. The sponsor for the website is The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The source of funding does not have an impact on the information provided. The website provides easy navigation with reliable information, treatment options, clinical trials and ways to get involved. The website provided clear privacy and security

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.

Spinal cord injuries are characterized by two distinct injury phases. The primary injury phase is represented by all the tissue directly damaged at the time of injury. The damage seen in this phase is primarily shearing of cells, destruction of local vasculature, and severe disruption of spinal cord function. The secondary injury phase is characterized by inflammation of the injury site, immune-mediated tissue destruction, and edema formation at the lesion site. The nature of spinal cord injuries makes the damage done by the primary injury irreversible. The majority of therapeutic research is done with the intention of lessening the damage done during the secondary injury phase. One major complication faced by researchers trying to control the secondary injury phase is the localized destruction of vasculature. Without a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, many of the cells in the spinal cord will begin to die rapidly, oftentimes releasing biological signals that encourage other cells to die as well. The uncontrolled movement of fluid into the lesion site causes the tissue to swell, further complicating the processes of rebuilding vasculature. The movement of immune

In the United States alone, there are approximately 12,000 new spinal cord injury cases each year (The National SCI Statistical Center [NSCISC], 2013). The severity of the patient’s injuries depends on how severe the spinal cord injury is, and where it is located at on the spinal column. If the spinal cord injury is complete, it renders the patient paralyzed below the injury. If the spinal cord injury is incomplete, the patient may have some movement and sensation below the injury (Medline Plus, 2014).

Spinal cord trauma affects a multitude of individuals globally. Many common spinal cord injuries occur frequently from motor vehicle accidents, athletics, falls, and disease and are not curable (Center NSCISC 2013). Depending on the area that is damaged, there are numerous consequences of spinal cord injuries that affect the body in different ways. As individuals age, their susceptibility to such injuries significantly increases and is frequently caused by falling. However, anyone is susceptible to spinal cord trauma. In the United States, 906 individuals per one million have some sort of spinal cord injury. The peak age of those affected is younger than thirty and the elderly. The most prevalent reason comes from automobile accidents and

Brain and spinal injuries are very serious conditions due to the ability to change or stop certain body functions permanently. One can be born with brain damage in which case the brain cells have been killed off. Spinal damage on the other hand can occur at any point in a lifetime. There are many different consequences to getting these injuries such as muscle failure.

In the article “Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury” Neil H Riordan discusses that adult stem cells can treat spinal cord injuries. The spinal cord is a tube like structure that runs from the base of the skull to the end of the spine. If this is injured, it may cause loss of muscle movement, muscle control, sensation and body system control.This is usually caused by motor vehicle accidents, bad falls or sporting accident that fracture and crush the vertebrae. People can cope with their disabilities by going through physical therapy; however, spinal cord injury can be treated with allogeneic human umbilical cord tissue-derived stem cells and autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells. Treatment such as this can be done by injecting a total

During the course of rehabilitation the patient is often seen by multiple therapists to help maximize the recovery process. “Occupational therapists and physical therapist who work with patients with spinal cord damages work closely together in order to prioritize the goals and treatment plans they have for the patient (Emerich,Lyn 2012)”. Assessing and documenting sensory and motor function is vital when working with spinal cord injury patients. “The assessment should include the patient’s voluntary and involuntary motor activity for all the muscle groups throughout their entire body (Emerich,Lyn 2012)”.when the therapist completes this assessment it allows them to identify appropriate and functional compensatory strategies and whether the

Neuromuscular control/ proprioception/ kinesthesia- He has to be able to learn how to reuse that injured body part.

“Normal activity if the spinal cord cells at and below the level of injury ceases because of loss of the continuous tonic discharge from the brain or brain stem and inhibition of suprasegmental impulses immediately after cord injury, thus causing spinal shock” (Huether 383). Below the level of the injury, reflex function is completely lost resulting in spinal shock. Everything is included in spinal shock ranging from the skeletal muscles, bowel, sexual functions, bladder, to autonomic control. Paralysis and loss of muscle below the level of injury will be present. This patient should also have no control over her bladder and rectal functions. Her blood pressure will drop and there will be poor venous circulation noted. This woman’s

In a patient with a complete transection of the spinal cord at C5 you would expect to see an irreversible loss of function, both sensory and motor below the C5 level (McCance & Huether, 2014). Since the injury is above the level of C6, this patient would present with complete quadriplegia, a paralysis of all 4 limbs (McCance & Huether, 2014). The patient should be able to control their head and muscles above the shoulders, as well has have sensation in the region above the shoulders (Hickey, 2009). The patient should be able to breath on their own, as the phrenic nerve is intact, although patient may not be able to control the intercostal muscles, which may weaken the breathing effort (Hickey, 2009). This patient would not have control