Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries
If the spinal cord is damaged in an accident, the sections below the injury will be cut off from the circuit of information to and from your brain. This means, all nerves - and all body parts - linked to these areas of the spinal cord will also be disconnected from your brain and will stop functioning.
Well protected
To minimise the risk of such an injury, your spinal cord is well protected:
Three tough envelopes called meninges surround your spinal cord
A clear fluid, that acts as a shock-absorber, circulates in the space between your outer and middle meninge
Your backbone surrounds your spinal cord, the shock-absorbing fluid and the meninges
Causes of Paraplegia
Note: The cervical spinal nerves exit the vertebrae above the cervical vertebrae, except for C7, where the C8 spinal nerve exits below the C7 vertebrae.
All spinal nerves then exit below the thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebrae.
Paraplegia due to a spinal cord injury results in an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower half of a person's body. The condition occurs due to damage to the cellular structure of the spinal cord within the spinal canal. The area of the spinal cord which is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions of the spinal column. If the arms are also affected by paralysis, quadriplegia/tetraplegia is the correct terminology.
Symptoms of Paraplegia
Injury to the spinal cord at the thoracic level and below result in paraplegia, with the arms and hands not affected. People with injuries to the spinal cord segments T-1 to T-8 usually retain control of the arms and hands but have poor trunk control and balance due to the lack of abdominal muscle control. Lower thoracic injuries (T-9 to T-12) retain good truck control and good abdominal muscle control. The sitting balance of people with lower spinal cord injuries is usually very good. Lumbar and Sacral injuries result in decreased control of the hip flexors and
If the spinal cord is damaged in an accident, the sections below the injury will be cut off from the circuit of information to and from your brain. This means, all nerves - and all body parts - linked to these areas of the spinal cord will also be disconnected from your brain and will stop functioning.
Well protected
To minimise the risk of such an injury, your spinal cord is well protected:
Three tough envelopes called meninges surround your spinal cord
A clear fluid, that acts as a shock-absorber, circulates in the space between your outer and middle meninge
Your backbone surrounds your spinal cord, the shock-absorbing fluid and the meninges
Causes of Paraplegia
Note: The cervical spinal nerves exit the vertebrae above the cervical vertebrae, except for C7, where the C8 spinal nerve exits below the C7 vertebrae.
All spinal nerves then exit below the thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebrae.
Paraplegia due to a spinal cord injury results in an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower half of a person's body. The condition occurs due to damage to the cellular structure of the spinal cord within the spinal canal. The area of the spinal cord which is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions of the spinal column. If the arms are also affected by paralysis, quadriplegia/tetraplegia is the correct terminology.
Symptoms of Paraplegia
Injury to the spinal cord at the thoracic level and below result in paraplegia, with the arms and hands not affected. People with injuries to the spinal cord segments T-1 to T-8 usually retain control of the arms and hands but have poor trunk control and balance due to the lack of abdominal muscle control. Lower thoracic injuries (T-9 to T-12) retain good truck control and good abdominal muscle control. The sitting balance of people with lower spinal cord injuries is usually very good. Lumbar and Sacral injuries result in decreased control of the hip flexors and