Spinal Cord Injury

Description

Mr Nick Birch gives his expert insights and focuses on spinal cord injury (SCI), explaining the causes, classifications, and clinical features associated with it. Mr Birch discusses how SCI can result from trauma (e.g., accidents, falls) or disease, leading to varying degrees of neurological impairment. He distinguishes between complete and incomplete injuries, detailing the ASIA classification system. Mr Birch emphasizes the importance of recognizing specific types of incomplete SCI, such as Brown-Séquard and anterior cord syndromes, and highlights the relevance of neuroanatomy in understanding injury patterns. The consequences of injuries at different spinal levels are addressed, with cervical injuries often resulting in quadriplegia, while thoracic and lumbar injuries can lead to paraplegia. Significant symptoms include motor and sensory deficits and autonomic dysfunction affecting bladder, bowel, and sexual function, as well as respiratory issues in high cervical injuries. Overall, the transcription serves as an informative overview of SCI, its classifications, and clinical implications.




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DOI: 10.1302/3114-251108

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