What is a spinal cord injury (SCI)?
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord. The spinal cord is a soft bundle of nerves that goes from the base of the brain to the lower back. It runs through the spinal canal, a tunnel formed by holes in the bones of the spine. The bony spine helps protect the spinal cord.
The spinal cord carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body. This allows you to move and to feel touch, among other things. A spinal cord injury stops the flow of messages below the site of the injury.
The closer the injury is to the brain, the more of the body that is affected.
- Injury to the middle of the back usually affects the legs. This is called paraplegia.
- Injury to the neck can affect the arms, chest, and legs. This is called quadriplegia.
A spinal cord injury may be complete or incomplete. A person with a complete injury doesn't have any feeling or movement below the level of the injury. In an incomplete injury, the person still has some feeling or movement in the affected area.
What tests are done to find out the extent of a spinal cord injury (SCI)?
A computed tomography scan (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be done right away to help find out the extent of the injury.
You will be tested to see how you respond to pinpricks and light touch all over your body. The doctor will ask you to move different parts of your body and test the strength of your muscles. These tests help the doctor know how severe the injury is. They help determine how likely it is that you could get back some feeling and movement.
How are spinal cord injuries (SCIs) treated?
At the hospital, treatment for an SCI starts right away to prevent more damage to the spine and spinal cord. Steps are taken to get your blood pressure stable and help you breathe. You may get a steroid medicine to reduce swelling of the spinal cord. When a spinal cord injury is caused by a serious accident, treatment for other injuries is often needed.
As soon as you are stable, rehabilitation (rehab) starts. The goal of rehab is to help prepare you for life after rehab and help you be as independent as possible. What happens in rehab depends on your level of injury.
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