Spinal Injuries

Anterior Cord Syndrome

This incomplete cord syndrome happens when only two-thirds of the spinal cord is damaged in the anterior region. This injury is typically caused by ischemia that occurs within the anterior spinal artery. When this happens, there is some motor paralysis right below the affected region of the injury. You can experience loss of pain and the inability to feel the temperature in this area. Compared to other spinal cord injuries, the prognosis of anterior cord syndrome is the worst. This is because there is a high mortality rate associated with this spinal injury, as well as a lower recovery rate for hand-eye coordination and motor skills. A majority of patients have a complete loss of strength below the area of the injury.

Central Cord Syndrome

Central cord syndrome is the most common form of an incomplete spinal cord injury and typically only affects the arms, hands, and sometimes the legs. The brain is blocked from sending signals to the body in these regions because the injury has caused swelling or bleeding in corticospinal or spinothalamic tracts. Typically, changes in sensations are associated with this spinal cord disease. The affected individual may feel a sharp band around their abdomen below where the injury occurred. There is a noticeable decrease in sensation where the patient can’t feel the same intensity of touch, heat, or pain. That is because the main tracts affected by central cord syndrome include the spinothalamic and corticospinal tracts. The prognosis for central cord syndrome is better for younger individuals, where a majority of patients recover. However, those aged 50 or older have a lower rate of recovery.

Brown-Sequard Syndrome

Brown-Sequard syndrome is a rare neurological condition. The syndrome occurs when there is a lesion in the spinal cord that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the body while the other side of the body experiences loss of sensation. The symptoms of this disorder include weakness or paralysis on the side of the body that is on the same side of the spinal cord lesion. Additionally, the patient will feel a loss of temperature and pain sensation on the opposite side of the body where the lesion occurred. This occurs because the lateral hemisection of the spinal cord gets severed across the pyramidal tract, the spinothalamic tract, and the dorsal column. This type of injury is the rarest of other incomplete spinal injuries and is least likely to happen. The injury can be caused by ischemia, tumors, trauma, inflammatory disease, and infectious diseases. Recovery from this syndrome typically happens within a one to two month period after the injury and begins to slow down for the following three to six months. It can take up to 2 years for a full recovery.

How Do I Learn More About Spinal Injuries?

If you seek additional advice, you can speak to an educated medical representative to help inform you about what types of spinal injury treatments you can receive. Surgery is not the only option, as many other strategies can be formulated for your particular injury. You can consider massage and physical therapy, or you may want to start with a workplace injury trainer to help you get back to your job despite your injuries. Call Icon Medical Centers to learn more about what can be done for your spinal injury.