Symptoms of Spinal cord injury
Symptoms of Spinal cord injury
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Spinal cord injury includes the 12
symptoms listed below:
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Spinal cord injury:
Spinal cord injury: Symptom Checkers
Review the available symptom checkers for these symptoms of Spinal cord injury:
Spinal cord injury: Symptom Assessment Questionnaires
Review the available Assessment Questionnaires for the symptoms of Spinal cord injury:
Spinal cord injury: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Spinal cord injury:
Spinal cord injury Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Research More About Spinal cord injury
Do I have Spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injury: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
- Nerve Disorders: serious diseases commonly undiagnosed:
- Chronic Pain Disorders -- serious medical disorders that may be undiagnosed:
- more undiagnosed conditions...»
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Spinal cord injury:
Wrongly Diagnosed with Spinal cord injury?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Spinal cord injury includes:
See the full list of 2
Spinal cord injury: Research Doctors & Specialists
- Spinal Specialists:
- Nerve Specialists:
- Pain Specialists:
- Arthritis & Joint Health Specialists (Rheumatology):
- more specialists...»
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
More about symptoms of Spinal cord injury:
More information about symptoms of Spinal cord injury and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Spinal cord injury
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Spinal cord injury
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Spinal cord injury.
Medical Books Excerpts
- BACK PAIN
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- Back Pain
- "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Analgesia
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Back pain
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Back Pain
- "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis" (1999)
- [ read ]
- Analgesia
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Back pain
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Low Back Pain
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Analgesia
- "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Back pain
- "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Back pain
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Back Pain
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Analgesia
- "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Back pain
- "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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Symptoms of Spinal cord injury: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Spinal cord injury.
Spinal injuries:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
The most obvious symptoms of spinal injury are muscle spasm and back pain that worsen with movement. In cervical fractures, pain may produce point tenderness; in dorsal and lumbar fractures, it may radiate to other body areas such as the legs. After mild injuries, symptoms may be delayed for several days or weeks. If the injury damages the spinal cord, clinical effects range from mild paresthesia to quadriplegia and shock.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Abdominal trauma:
Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Pallor, cyanosis, pain, tachycardia, dyspnea, hypotension, bruising, abdominal distention and rigidity
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Spinal cord defects:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Indications vary depending on the type of defect.
Spina bifida occulta
Although overt signs may be absent, spina bifida occulta is often accompanied by a depression or dimple, tuft of hair, soft fatty deposits, port wine nevi, or a combination of these abnormalities on the skin over the spinal defect.
Spina bifida occulta doesn’t usually cause neurologic dysfunction but occasionally is associated with foot weakness or bowel and bladder disturbances. Such disturbances are especially likely during rapid growth phases, when the spinal cord’s ascent within the vertebral column may be impaired by its abnormal adherence to other tissues.
Meningocele and myelomeningocele
A saclike structure protrudes over the spine in both meningocele and myelo-meningocele.
Like spina bifida occulta, meningocele rarely causes neurologic deficit. But myelomeningocele, depending on the level of the defect, causes permanent neurologic dysfunction, such as flaccid or spastic paralysis and bowel and bladder incontinence.
Associated disorders include trophic skin disturbances (ulcerations, cyan-osis), clubfoot, knee contractures, and hydrocephalus (in about 90% of patients). Mental retardation, Arnold-Chiari syndrome (in which part of the brain protrudes into the spinal canal), and curvature of the spine can also occur.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Spinal injuries:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
The most obvious symptom of spinal injury is muscle spasm and back pain that worsens with movement. In cervical fractures, pain may produce point tenderness; in dorsal and lumbar fractures, it may radiate to other body areas such as the legs.
If the injury damages the spinal cord, clinical effects range from mild paresthesia to quadriplegia and shock. After milder injuries, such symptoms may be delayed for several days or weeks. During this time, the patient may unknowingly aggravate the condition
CLINICAL TIP: Because the diaphragm is innervated by cervical levels 1 to 4, damage to this level will result in respiratory compromise. Also, be aware of edema at levels C5 to C7, which may expand up into these areas, resulting in problems.
Complications
The following are complications of spinal injuries: autonomic dysreflexia, spinal shock, and neurogenic shock.
Also known as autonomic hyperreflexia, autonomic dysreflexia is a serious medical condition that occurs after resolution of spinal shock. Emergency recognition and management is a must. Suspect autonomic dysreflexia in the patient with a history of spinal cord trauma at level T6 and above who exhibits cold or goose-fleshed skin below the lesion level, bradycardia, and hypertension. The hypertension is generally accompanied by severe, pounding headache.
Some dysreflexia is caused by noxious stimuli, most commonly a distended bladder or skin lesion. Treatment focuses on eliminating the stimulus; rapid identification and removal may avoid the need for pharmacologic control of the headache and hypertension.
Spinal shock is the loss of autonomic, reflex, motor, and sensory activity below the level of the cord lesion. It occurs secondary to damage of the spinal cord. Signs of spinal shock include flaccid paralysis, loss of deep tendon and perianal reflexes, and loss of motor and sensory function.
Until spinal shock has resolved (usually 1 to 6 weeks after injury), the extent of actual cord damage can’t be assessed. The earliest indicator of spinal shock resolution is the return of reflex activity.
This temporary loss of autonomic function below the level of injury produces cardiovascular changes. Signs of neurogenic shock include orthostatic hypotension, bradycardia, and loss of the ability to sweat below the level of the lesion. This abnormal vasomotor response occurs secondary to disruption of sympathetic impulses from the brain stem to the thoracolumbar area and is seen most commonly in cervical cord injury.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Spinal cord injury:
Severe SCI often causes paralysis (loss of control over
voluntary movement and muscles of the body) and loss of sensation and
reflex function below the point of injury, including autonomic activity
such as breathing and other activities such as bowel and bladder control.
Other symptoms such as pain or sensitivity to stimuli, muscle spasms, and
sexual dysfunction may develop over time. SCI patients are also prone to
develop secondary medical problems, such as bladder infections, lung
infections, and bed sores.
(Source: excerpt from NINDS Spinal Cord Injury Information Page: NINDS)
Spinal cord injury as a symptom:
For a more detailed analysis of Spinal cord injury as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury: Onset and Incubation
Onset of Spinal cord injury: sudden in onset
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Spinal cord injury:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Spinal cord injury.
This signs and symptoms information for Spinal cord injury has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Spinal cord injury signs or Spinal cord injury symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Spinal cord injury may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Spinal cord injury symptoms.
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Diagnostic Tests for Spinal cord injury
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