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Spinal trauma is an injury that occurs in any region of the spinal cord, which can cause permanent changes in motor and sensory functions in the region of the body below the injury. The traumatic injury can be complete, in which there is total loss of motor and sensory function below the site where the injury occurs, or incomplete, in which this loss is partial.
Trauma can occur during a fall or a traffic accident, for example, which are situations that must be attended to immediately in order to avoid aggravating the injury. Unfortunately, there is still no treatment that reverses the damage caused by spinal cord trauma, however, there are measures that help to prevent the injury from getting worse and help the person adapt to a new lifestyle.
What are the signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of spinal trauma depend on the severity of the injury and the region where it occurs. The person can become paraplegic, when only the part of the trunk, legs and pelvic region is affected, or quadriplegic, when the whole body is affected below the neck.
Spinal cord injuries can result in the following signs and symptoms:
- Loss of movements;
- Loss or change in sensitivity to heat, cold, pain or touch;
- Muscle spasms and exaggerated reflexes;
- Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity or fertility;
- Pain or stinging sensation;
- Difficulty breathing or eliminating secretions from the lungs;
- Loss of bladder or bowel control.
Although bladder and bowel control is lost, these structures continue to function normally. The bladder continues to store urine and the intestine continues to perform its functions in digestion, however, there is a difficulty in communication between the brain and these structures to eliminate urine and feces, increasing the risk of developing infections or forming stones in the kidneys.
In addition to these symptoms, at the time of the injury there may also be severe back pain or pressure in the neck and head, weakness, incoordination or paralysis in any region of the body, numbness, tingling and loss of sensation in the hands, fingers and feet, difficulty to walk and maintain balance, difficulty breathing or even twisted positioning of the neck or back.
What to do when an injury is suspected
After an accident, a fall or something that may have caused spinal cord trauma, you should avoid moving the injured person and immediately call a medical emergency.
Because it happens
Spinal trauma can result from damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or spinal discs or damage directly to the spinal cord itself, due to traffic accidents, falls, fighting, violent sports, diving in a place with little water or in an incorrect position, injury to a person. bullet or knife or even for diseases like arthritis, cancer, infection or degeneration of the spinal discs.
The severity of the lesion may evolve or improve after a few hours, days or weeks, which may be related to the average care, accurate diagnosis, rapid care, reduced edema and medications that may be being used.
How to confirm the diagnosis
The doctor can use various diagnostic methods to understand if there has been a spinal cord injury and the severity of that injury, often taking X-rays as an initial examination to identify vertebral changes, tumors, fractures or other changes in the column.
In addition, you can also use a CT scan to better see the abnormalities detected on the X-ray, or an MRI scan, which helps to identify herniated discs, blood clots or other factors that can put pressure on the spinal cord.
How the treatment is done
It is not yet possible to reverse the damage of a spinal cord injury, however, investigations for possible new treatments are still ongoing. However, what can be done in these cases is to prevent the injury from getting worse and if necessary resort to surgery to remove bone fragments or foreign objects.
For this, it is very important to assemble a rehabilitation team to help the person adapt to their new life, both physically and psychologically. This team should have a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a rehabilitation nurse, a psychologist, a social worker, a nutritionist and an orthopedist or neurosurgeon who specializes in spinal cord injuries.
Medical assistance at the time of the accident is also very important, as it can prevent the worsening of injuries, and the faster the initial care, diagnosis and treatment, the better the person's evolution and quality of life. .