Symptom of Spinal Cord Injury - Its Causes and Treatments

Gain Knowledge About Spinal Cord Syndrome

The spinal cord, lying inside the spinal columns, extends from the brain stem to the lower back. It plays an important role in the central nervous system. Spinal cord syndromes can occur because of either vehicle accidents or non-traumatic incidents that include some debilitating physical conditions like tumours and vascular diseases.

In this blog, we will focus on two types of spinal cord syndromes, anterior spinal cord syndromes and posterior cord syndrome symptoms. These syndromes are a part of the incomplete spinal cord injuries.

Here, you need to keep in mind that not all spinal cord injuries are part of the spinal cord syndromes. So, we will only cover the part which highlights the symptoms of spinal cord injuries, their causes, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

Keep reading ahead to know more about these syndromes.

Types of Spinal Cord Syndrome

There are six types of spinal cord syndromes and out of which, here are the two types: anterior and posterior. Here, we have covered two types focusing primarily on incomplete spinal injuries.

● Anterior Spinal Cord Syndrome

Anterior spinal cord syndrome is related to flexion injuries. It predominantly affects two-thirds anterior of the spinal cord, leading to back pain and unnecessary spasms and contractions.

● Posterior Spinal Cord

Posterior cord syndrome, as the name suggests, impairs the posterior side of the spinal cord. It affects proprioception, known as kinesthesia.

As these two types of syndromes belong to the incomplete spinal cord injury, you should know more about this injury. This type of injury only affects a few lanes of the spinal cord, and other parts of the spinal cord remain open.

Let us expand on three types of spinal cord syndromes and their differences based on central cord syndrome vs. anterior cord syndrome and posterior syndrome vs. anterior cord syndrome.

Spinal Cord Syndrome Types	Location	Aetiology
Anterior Cord Syndrome or ventral spinal cord	Two-thirds of the anterior cord	Aortic Surgery Tumours Cervical Spondylosis
Central Cord Syndrome	Cervical Spine	Spinal Stenosis Herniated Discs Ligamentum Flavum
Posterior Cord Syndrome	Posterior Columns of Spinal Cord	Tumours Vitamin B12 Deficiency Cervical Spine Degeneration

Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury

You must be aware of the two factors associated with spinal cord injuries. The location of the injury means which part of the spinal cord is injured and how badly affected the area is. Here are some of the symptoms one could face if their spinal cord is injured:

● Change in sensation as in the feeling of heat, cold, and touch
● Movement disorder
● Poor control of the bladder and bowel system
● Infertility
● Intense back pain
● Trouble breathing and coughing

Symptoms vary based on which part of the spinal cord is affected. Let us discuss the common symptoms of anterior spinal artery syndrome and posterior spinal cord injury in the following section:

● Anterior Cord Syndrome Symptoms

Anterior spinal cord injury is an acute condition where people can lose complete sensation in both legs. Sometimes, affected people cannot move their legs at all. Some individuals even lose control of their bowel and bladder movement.

● Posterior Cord Syndrome Symptoms

In this type of injury, the patient suffers from sensory ataxia that results in loss of balance, poor coordination, and random falls. People with posterior spinal cord injury can walk because the motor functions of an individual are carried by the anterior wall. Hence, people may experience unsteady walking, but their ability is not restricted, as is the case with specific disabilities that occur with the anterior cord injury.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury can happen due to many reasons, and some of the possible reasons are mentioned below:

● Accidents: Vehicle accidents are one of the common reasons for which spinal cord injury happens. It causes majorly 37% of spinal cord injuries.
● Random Falls: Due to random calls, your spinal cord can be injured.
● Violence: If someone stabs with sharp knives or other objects, your spinal cord can be affected badly.
● Sports: Athletes often face such injuries, and diving is one of the sports in which people mostly experience such injuries.

There are other factors due to which your spinal cord can be badly affected:

● Osteoporosis
● Spine tumours
● Cysts
● Infections in surrounding areas
● Poor blood supply
● Myelomeningocele
● Hereditary paraplegia
● Electrocution

Irrespective of the causes, spinal cord injuries affect the nerve fibres located in that area. It can impact the whole or part of the muscles and nerves in that injured area.

Risk Factors of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries mostly happen due to vehicle accidents. Posterior spinal cord syndromes make up the most of the risk factors. However, anterior spinal artery syndrome and risk factors related to it is a rare neurological condition which can lead to the paralysis of two-thirds of the spinal cord. Following are the common risk factors which include:

● Such injuries largely happen to the male. Only 20% of women are affected by such injury, and that too for traumatic reasons.
● More than half of the injuries occur at the age of 16 to 30. Also, elderly people are prone to develop such injuries due to sudden falls.
● Alcoholics make up 25% of traumatic spinal cord injury.
● Other risk factors include participating in games without taking any safety measures.

Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Injury

Health experts can suggest multiple methods to check the level of injury and which part of the spinal cord is affected. The following are the methods which are generally applied:

● Physical Exam: This exam is often conducted to check the overall condition of the spinal cord.
● Neurological Exam: This test is done when your doctors would try to find some nerve damage. It also involves checking your limbs and their strength.
● CT and MRI Scan: A computed scan and magnetic resonance imaging are the two ways to detect any specific bone-related or spinal cord injuries. MRI scans provide a detailed picture of the spinal cord, and through this test, the detection becomes easier for the healthcare providers.
● Electromyography: This test helps in locating the damaged areas of your spinal cord. This is done through electric signals. It also provides a clear picture of any nerve damage.

Treatment and Management

A treatment plan for spinal cord injury varies depending on the healthcare providers you are consulting with. Spinal cord injuries call for immediate medical attention. Such patients are basically treated in the intensive care unit. Doctors try to prevent any further spinal cord damage to averse fatality. Here are some of the ways healthcare professionals adopt to treat spinal cord injuries:

● Surgery : Doctors often suggest surgery to reduce the pressure on your spinal cord.
● Medications : Steroids are prescribed to reduce any inflammation and swelling of the surrounding areas of the spinal cord.
● Traction : This prevents your movement to reduce any further pressure in the surrounding areas of the spinal cord.
● Supportive Devices : Supportive devices like splints, braces, and halo work the same as traction. But with these devices, your movement is not restricted.
● Hypothermia : Such a process reduces the overall temperature of the spinal cord tissues which helps in preventing any type of inflammation and swelling.

There are other long-term support available to treat spinal cord injuries, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and home care support.

Preventive Measures

Spinal cord injuries are unpredictable. However, you can take the following measures that will reduce the risk of such injuries:

1.To avoid vehicle accidents, drive cautiously and do not consume alcohol while driving.
2.Be extremely vigilant when you are around any firearms.
3.Do not blindly dive into water if you are unaware of its depth.
4.Carry safety equipment whenever possible.
5.Do not use medications without a prescription from your healthcare providers, and reduce your overall alcohol intake.

Final Words

Out of six types of spinal cord syndromes, we have given the details of the signs and symptoms of the anterior cord syndrome and posterior cord. These two syndromes are part of the incomplete spinal injuries as we have mentioned earlier. Spinal cord injury is a medical emergency and it is always suggested if you are having any symptoms, you should rush to doctors without any second thought.

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FAQ

What are the causes of anterior cord syndrome?

This syndrome is caused by ischemia where blood flow gets obstructed and does not reach the anterior spinal artery. This causes damage to the two-thirds of the spinal cord. There are many reasons why such syndrome occurs and some of them are aortic surgery, trauma in the aorta, and aortic aneurysms etc.

What are the differences between anterior vs. central cord syndrome?

Both of these are spinal cord injuries. One happens in the front wall of the spinal cord whereas the other happens in the central part of the spinal cord. While anterior injury causes complete paralysis, central cord syndrome causes weakness in the upper part of the body and sometimes in the lower part of the body as well.

Is there any possible connection between obesity and spinal cord injury?

The spinal cord is responsible for carrying the body's weight and the excess of it causes a burden on the spinal cord. It leads to musculoskeletal issues.