What happens if you sever your spinal cord

The vertebra in the lower back between the thoracic vertebra, where the ribs attach, and the pelvis hip bone , are the lumbar vertebra. The sacral vertebra run from the pelvis to the end of the spinal column. Injuries to the five lumbar vertebra L-1 thru L-5 and similarly to the five sacral vertebra S-1 thru S-5 generally result in some loss of function in the hips and legs.

Learn more about the spinal cord injury levels and types. Explore more about spinal cord injury levels and types. Spinal cord injuries are most often the result of vehicle accidents, which account for Other causes include acts of violence primarily gunshot wounds at Non-traumatic causes of spinal cord injury or paralysis may include cancer and osteoporosis, spinal tumors, multiple sclerosis, inflammation of the spinal cord, arthritis, spinal stenosis and blood loss.

Explore the most common types and levels of spinal cord injuries. The level of injury to the spinal cord is helpful in predicting what parts of the body might be affected by paralysis and loss of function. Remember that in incomplete spinal cord injuries, there will be some variation in these prognoses. Cervical neck injuries usually result in quadriplegia.

Injuries above the C-4 level may require a ventilator for the person to breathe. C-5 injuries often result in shoulder and biceps control, but no control at the wrist or hand. C-6 injuries generally yield wrist control, but no hand function.

Individuals with C-7 and T-1 injuries can straighten their arms, but still may have dexterity problems with the hand and fingers. Injuries at the thoracic level and below result in paraplegia, with the hands not affected.

At T-1 to T-8, there is most often control of the hands, but poor trunk control resulting from a lack of abdominal muscle control.

Lower thoracic injuries T-9 to T allow good trunk control and good abdominal muscle control. Sitting balance is very good. Lumbar and sacral spinal cord injuries yield decreasing control of the hip flexors and legs. Besides a loss of sensation or motor function, individuals with spinal cord injury also experience other changes. For example, they may experience dysfunction of the bowel and bladder. Very high injuries C-1, C-2 can result in a loss of many involuntary functions, including the ability to breathe, necessitating breathing aids such as mechanical ventilators or diaphragmatic pacemakers.

Other effects of spinal cord injury and paralysis may include low blood pressure, inability to regulate blood pressure effectively, reduced control of body temperature, inability to sweat below the level of injury and chronic pain.

There are approximately 17, new SCIs every year, most of which are caused by automobile accidents and falls. Currently, there is no cure for spinal cord injury. There are researchers studying this problem, and there have been many advances in the lab. Keeping yourself healthy is significant to improving function and being ready for future therapies as they become available.

Recovery from spinal cord injury can be a slow process. This is how the body naturally cares for itself. However, there is no room in the boney casement of the vertebrae, so this extra fluid will push on viable tissue which can restrict blood flow. Controlling for edema will be imperative to treatment to avoid additional damage to your injury site.

Unique to the central nervous system is a process called apoptosis or programmed cell death. To help the body cope with the extra fluid pumped into an injured area when a nerve cell is damaged, other cells die as the body attempts to control for too much substance in the vertebral column.

The good news is that after swelling and apoptosis slows, there will be less pressure on your nerves. You might see some improvement in function, perhaps even an improvement in functional level by a nerve segment or two. Besides a loss of sensation or motor function, injury to the spinal cord leads to other changes in the body. Your body is still working below the level of injury.

It is just that messages to and from your brain are not being communicated through the site of injury. You will have to provide your body with the necessary care manually. Complications of spinal cord injury are possibly preventable with good healthcare, diet and physical activity although sometimes they occur even with the best of intentions. The chart below indicates the secondary complications of spinal cord injury and ideas about how to combat them. Keep track of bone density though regular bone density testing and treat as recommended by your healthcare professional.

Some drugs can decrease muscle tone but have significant side effects, discuss with healthcare professional when appropriate. Spasms of muscles of the extremities and inside the body in individuals with cervical and thoracic injuries. Can be painful or prevent correct positioning of body. Exercise your brain as well as your body.

Examples: play word and math games, expand hobbies or new interests. Know the warning signs and treatments. DVT wallet card. With spastic bowel cervical and thoracic injuries performs digital stimulation slowly to relax sphincter.

Know your body so you can report a change to recognize there might be a problem, so this diagnosis can be made without delay. Management with intermittent bladder catheterization, external catheter for men, indwelling catheter, suprapubic catheter, Mitrofanoff procedure or a combination of methods depending on individual needs.

Discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider to see if you want treatment for this condition. Activity is the best way to keep your body healthy and to avoid complications. Research has demonstrated the benefits of activity in maintaining health and function as well as recovery. The body is always attempting to repair itself.

Sometimes individuals feel that if they cannot obtain some of the advanced equipment, that the door for recovery is closed. This is far from true. Any type of activity provided to the parts of your body affected by paralysis will help you maintain your body.

Performing range of motion exercises either by yourself or by someone else moving your body will help to keep your joints supple and will assist with bowel, bladder and skin care. Movement of the legs and trunk keep your bowels moving and the urine in your bladder stirred, thereby reducing your chances of infection.

Moving your body by performing pressure releases keeps small blood vessels from collapsing or clotting. When moving affected parts of your body, be gentle. Sometimes when people have decreased sensation, it is easy to throw body parts around. This can include tossing a leg up on the bed or flipping a body part from one spot to another.

Range of motion can become harmful when caution is not used. A body part can hit up against the wheelchair, bed or wall.

People who have sensation have a natural protection mechanism because humans do not like to cause pain to themselves. With decreased sensation, you need to use caution to keep from harming yourself as evidenced by bruising or even bone fractures. Rough handling can lead to joint problems and deep vein thrombosis or blood clots. Sometimes, you can find therapies in the least expected places.

There might be a therapist in your town that will provide therapy at a reduced rate. Another option is using the local gym with a personal trainer who has experience with individuals with paralysis.

Some rehabilitation centers open their gyms in the evening hours for a nominal fee. Finding activity options can take a lot of effort. If you are active in a community with individuals who have paralysis, you can get some good leads from your friends. The peer support center at the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Center can put you in touch with others in your community that might have the information you need, or you can divide the work with them to find or even organize something in your area.

People often overlook aquatic therapy for activity. Some community centers also offer these resources. The buoyancy of the water will help you perform movements that you might not be able to do on land where gravity is resistant to movement. Sharp movements are for resistance exercises and can be done with body parts that have movement.

Be prepared for your day in the pool by performing your bowel program prior to your swim. You might want to wear an adult protection garment. Cover any open areas with waterproof dressings to keep the pool water out of your body such as an open pressure injury site or suprapubic catheter opening. Be sure you discuss the idea of aquatic therapy with your health professional before starting to make sure it is safe for your specific and individual needs.

There are wheelchair sports groups that are available in many areas. These will help with general health but most often body parts with lack of movement are strapped down so not much activity is gained to affected limbs. However, you will breathe deeply and get a good workout to your moving body.

Activity can affect your mental health in a positive way so whatever you decide to do will be a great start. For all individuals, making time for activity is a challenge. It takes effort, thought and planning to develop an exercise plan. You can find out what others are doing or talk with your health professional who is a good conduit of sharing information. There are medications that are being developed to help reduce the impact of injury to your body. Some of these are specific for disease processes and some for trauma.

Swelling or edema is a process that occurs whenever the body is injured anywhere-even a paper cut. Swelling in the spinal cord or brain leads to complications because these body parts are contained in rigid skulls and vertebrae. Bones do not expand to accommodate swelling which puts increased pressure on tissue and nerves.

Typically, the medications that prevent tissue damage from traumatic spinal cord injury are used in the early hours of injury. Sometimes, the use of these medications is not recommended depending on individual situations. Researchers are looking into ideas to better understand when and how medications should be used to benefit individuals at the time of injury. There are medications that will help with problems that come up after injury.

Medications for spasticity, infection, bowel function, bladder control and many, many others, help to keep your body functioning well and can prevent further issues. Care always must be taken regarding medication, both prescriptive and over the counter as interactions do occur. Always report your full list of medications and have a professional monitor what you are taking to avoid interactions with the medication, supplements and food.

As scientist learn more about how the nerves in your body work, connect and transmit messages, more medication treatments will be developed that will assist with nerve signaling as well as to enhance function and eventually healing. There are surgical treatments available now that will help improve function. Surgery can be performed on peripheral nerves those in the body but not yet on central nerves those in the spinal cord or brain. Peripheral nerve surgery includes nerve releases, transfers and grafting.

This area of surgery is probably the most explored. Some surgeries are approved and offered in specialty centers but not yet widespread to find locally. Hand and arm nerve surgery can improve arm function. There are also some peripheral nerve surgeries that improve lower extremity function, bowel, bladder and sexual function.

Stem cell therapies and genetic manipulation procedures are being studied by researchers to promote regeneration and recovery of function after spinal cord injury.

Many of these treatments may include surgery however, as more knowledge is gained, these treatments may become intravenously IV delivered.

Stem cells and genetic engineering therapies target improved recovery of function by rebuilding damaged or lost spinal nerve circuits.

While these techniques are still largely experimental, scientists ae excited about translating them to the clinic, for use either alone or in combination with other interventions for example, certain kinds of activity-based rehabilitation. Peripheral nerve surgery is possible and is performed by specialty trained surgeons. Peripheral nerves are outside of the brain and spinal cord.

Surgery to the nerves in the peripheral nervous system PNS are available which includes improving function in the cauda equina section of the lower spinal cord. These nerves can be rerouted or even split to improve function. Therapy is used to help your brain and body learn to activate this reorganization. In the Big Idea, an FDA-approved feasibility study, 36 individuals with chronic, complete spinal cord injury are being implanted with an epidural stimulator.

Investigators hope to demonstrate that epidural stimulation ES can improve functions such as cardiovascular, sexual and bladder function, as well as the ability to facilitate standing and voluntary movements. ES raises the level of excitability in the network of nerve cells that remains intact below the level of injury; combined with appropriate sensory information, that network is able to control complicated movements. As of July , a total of 14 Big Idea research subjects had been implanted and are in varying stages of their two-year Big Idea participation.

At the end, each has the option to keep the implanted stimulator or have it removed. The Big Idea builds on a promising earlier study in which eight men were implanted with stimulators. Every study of spinal cord injury repair increases the knowledge base. More than likely, a combination of all these treatments will be used to restore function from paralysis.

Activity will be needed both before and after treatment to bring the body to full recovery. Medications are used now to help people function in their daily lives but other medications specifically for recovery are being developed. Surgery to restore nerve function is underway. We have never been so close but when you are the one waiting, it can seem like forever.

Now is the time to have the most hope. Clinical practice guidelines are available to model standards for healthcare professionals and the public about rehabiliation strategies.

The Paralyzed Veterans of America have a wide variety of evidence-based guidelines available free of charge. Spinal Network has a wide range of clinical practice guidelines. The American College of Physicians. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation provides a wide array of information at their website. Research into recovery from spinal cord injury is being conducted. There are many options that are being studied.

These include therapies to preserve and restore function, medications and surgeries. The amount of information being currently being produced is mind boggling. There are even options that are available today but beware, many of the treatments being pushed on the web are not proven and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Participation in some of these therapies might even keep you from benefitting from successful treatments at a later time.

Most of these procedures seem to be surgical although there are unproved other treatments as well. In the past, offerings for shark tissue to be placed in your back or stem cell treatments in other countries have been advertised. People have spent large amounts of money on these types of treatments. Why are they not used as often now?

Because they did not produce the results promised. Sometimes, the failure was accounted to an inability to be able to measure outcomes and yet outcome measures are readily available and standardized around the world. Waiting for recovery has always been an issue. It is easy to be drawn into false promises. As a consumer, there is a phrase, if it appears too easy, it probably is not worth it. If someone approaches you about a quick fix treatment, you should question why the rest of the world does not know about or is not using that particular therapy.

A proven therapy will be known by legitimate researchers and provided to the entire SCI community. However, there has never been a time when so much progress has been made in the treatment of spinal cord injury. These studies as well as research into specific diseases that lead to paralysis are being shared and combined to enhance your opportunities. There is no magic answer, but options do exist. Outcomes of spinal cord injury do not rest on a medical or trauma cause. When healthcare professionals speak about spinal cord injury, they are referring to both causes.

Sometimes people think little attention is paid to medical causes because research about spinal cord injury focuses on trauma. This is because trauma often provides information about the exact time of onset and level of injury. Medical causes do not have specific onset time as that is usually unknown. Medical causes of SCI usually begin prior to diagnosis.

Level of injury can be variable in medical causes and often there are several injury points. Research of SCI from medical or trauma causes benefit all individuals with spinal cord injury. Research of the medical causes is usually conducted under that disease diagnosis.

SCI research focuses on the injury from medical and trauma sources, curbing the injury, reducing secondary effects and cure. Basic Science are experiments that take place in a laboratory. These experiments are important to demonstrate the possibility of treatment success in humans.

They cover all aspects of SCI injury and recovery from molecular physiologic processes to drug treatment. Clinical Research is performed with humans as the subjects. This can include physiologic, biologic, and psychologic studies.

Clinical research is only done when bench science has collected enough evidence to know there is basic safety for the study to be conducted with humans. Activity Based Therapy has been demonstrated as a key factor in spinal cord injury recovery both in active patterned movement as well as through internal and external functional electrical stimulation.

In this therapy, nerves are stimulated for function from an external source or implant. When the nerve is stimulated, movement of the body occurs. The efficacy of this therapy has been demonstrated through a variety of sources. Stem Cell Transplant for improved nerve transmission is being studied. The idea is that stem cells can be converted into any cell of the body. Creating nerve stem cells for implantation in the spinal cord is a goal but this is not yet totally effective.

Currently, there is no appropriate stem cell transplant for spinal cord injury. Much progress has been made in the laboratory with animals but the translation to humans has not been made. How stem cells will become a part of spinal cord injury treatment has not yet been established. Technology and Devices are being developed rapidly. These can include studies of implants in humans to equipment to improve function and decrease secondary complications.

An example of technology is the evolution of external electrodes for muscle movement that has evolved into microchips implanted which allow the individual to move. Further testing is underway. Devices to assist with movement for the goal of improving ability to perform activities of daily living are being developed. These include devices for hand and arm movement to allow self-feeding, grooming and toileting assistance to mobility devices to increase range over rough or sandy terrain.

Medication for spinal cord stabilization and for secondary complications are a critical part of spinal cord injury research. Neuropathic pain leads the way as a need verbalized by individuals with spinal cord injury. Controlling spasticity is a part of controlling pain. Treatment to reduce secondary damage at the time of injury and immediately following is important to reducing the outcome of SCI. Our experts have collected everything in one place to help you learn more about your injury, locate doctors and treatment centers, find financial support, and get assistance navigating your next move.

Author: Spinalcord. Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries Among the different types of spinal cord injuries , a fully severed spinal cord is referred to as a complete spinal cord injury. Treatment and Rehabilitation Remember, you have the right to decide on your treatment plan!

Sometimes surgeons will use bones from your hip, metal rods, and screws to give your spine support. You might need a brace or collar for the bones or ligaments that support your spine if they are injured. There are surgeries and pieces of equipment that are designed to help you move if necessary. Rehabilitation will begin with regaining strength in the limbs.

For some people mobility may be possible with a walker, leg braces, or a wheelchair. Engaging in physical therapy will provide you with exercise programs for muscle strengthening. Occupational therapists are trained to assist you in developing the motor skills that you need for daily life. Occupational therapists can also provide you with vocational therapy which helps to focus your abilities after physical therapy.

This way, you can define your basic work skills and determine the possibilities of your future employment. Additionally, there are many activities and sports that people engage in that help to keep you involved and pursue building on your strengths. There have been cases where people have had positive reactions to acupuncture and chiropractic methods.

Scientific research has not shown any proof that these routes will alter the symptoms of paralysis. It is a medical emergency that needs to be treated right away. The severity of symptoms such as weakness, paralysis, and loss of feeling depends on how badly the spinal cord is damaged and where on the cord the injury occurs. Damage to the cord in the middle of the back might affect only the legs, whereas damage to the spinal cord in the neck might also affect the arms and even the breathing muscles.

Treatment might include surgery, medicine , and other treatments as needed. Some people might recover some function over time, but others might continue to have long-term problems. Physical and occupational therapy can help you adapt to new ways of doing things. At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you.

Also know what the side effects are. One to two times per month, Virtual Advisors receive a link to short, interactive surveys. All responses are confidential. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What causes an acute spinal cord injury? The more common injuries occur when the area of the spine or neck is bent or compressed, as in the following: Falls Motor vehicle accidents automobiles, motorcycles, and being struck as a pedestrian Sports injuries Diving accidents Trampoline accidents Violence gunshot or stab wounds Infections that form an abscess on the spinal cord Birth injuries, which typically affect the spinal cord in the neck area What are the risk factors for acute spinal cord injury?

What are the symptoms of an acute spinal cord injury? Quadriplegia is loss of function in the arms and legs. Paraplegia is loss of function in the legs and lower body. These are the most common symptoms of acute spinal cord injuries: Muscle weakness Loss of voluntary muscle movement in the chest, arms, or legs Breathing problems Loss of feeling in the chest, arms, or legs Loss of bowel and bladder function The symptoms of SCI may look like other medical conditions or problems.

How are acute spinal cord injuries diagnosed? Diagnostic tests may include: Blood tests X-ray. How is an acute spinal cord injury treated?

Specific treatment for an acute spinal cord injury is based on: Age, overall health, and medical history Extent of the SCI Type of SCI How you respond to initial treatment The expected course of the SCI Your opinion or preference There is currently no way to repair a damaged or bruised spinal cord.

Your treatment may include: Observation and medical management in the intensive care unit ICU Medicines, such as corticosteroids to help decrease the swelling in the spinal cord Mechanical ventilator, a breathing machine to help you breathe Bladder catheter.

Feeding tube placed through the nostril to the stomach, or directly through the abdomen into the stomach, to provide extra nutrition and calories Recovery from a SCI often requires long-term hospitalization and rehabilitation. Can acute spinal cord injuries be prevented? Always wear a seat belt while in a vehicle.