Signs and Symptoms
Spinal cord injury symptoms depend on two factors:
- The location of the injury. In general, injuries that are higher in your spinal cord produce more paralysis. For example, a spinal cord injury at the neck level may cause paralysis in both arms and legs and make it impossible to breathe without a respirator, while a lower injury may affect only your legs and lower parts of your body.
- The severity of the injury. Spinal cord injuries are classified as partial or complete, depending on how much of the cord width is damaged.
In a partial spinal cord injury, which may also be called an incomplete injury, the spinal cord is able to convey some messages to or from your brain. So people with partial spinal cord injury retain some sensation and possibly some motor function below the affected area.
A complete spinal cord injury is defined by total or near-total loss of motor function and sensation below the area of injury. However, even in a complete injury, the spinal cord is almost never completely cut in half. Doctors use the term "complete" to describe a large amount of damage to the spinal cord. It's a key distinction because many people with partial spinal cord injuries are able to experience significant recovery, while those with complete injuries are not.
Closed
head
injury
Closed
head
injury
refers to
brain
injury
without
any
penetrating
injury to
the brain.
It may be
the result
of a
direct
blow to
the head;
of the
moving
head being
rapidly
stopped,
such as
when a
person's
head hits
a
windshield
in a car
accident;
or by the
sudden
deceleration
of the
head
without
its
striking
another
object.
The
kind of
injury the
brain
receives
in a
closed
head
injury is
determined
by whether
or not the
head was
unrestrained
upon
impact and
the
direction,
force, and
velocity
of the
blow. If
the head
is resting
on impact,
the
maximum
damage
will be
found at
the impact
site.
A
moving
head will
cause a "contrecoup
injury"
where the
brain
damage
occurs on
the side
opposite
the point
of impact,
as a
result of
the brain
slamming
into that
side of
the skull.
A closed
head
injury
also may
occur
without
the head
being
struck,
such as
when a
person
experiences
whiplash.
This
type of
injury
occurs
because
the brain
is of a
different
density
than the
skull, and
can be
injured
when
delicate
brain
tissues
hit
against
the rough,
jagged
inner
surface of
the skull.
