Spinal Cord Injuries

Question 1

What is spinal shock

Answer 1

physiological response to injury of the spinal cord in which all sensation, motor an reflex repsonses are lost below the level of injury temporarily

Question 2

how long does spinal shock take to resilve

Answer 2

about 24 hours

Question 3

how can you know spinal shock has resolved

Answer 3

the bulbocavernour reflex returns ( either a squeeze of the glans penis, tapping the mons pubis or pulling on a urethral catheter causes contraction of anal sphincter)

Question 4

what is neurogenic shock

Answer 4

sympathetic outflow is blocked due to cervical or upper throacic cord injury - results in hypotension, brady cardia, basically unopposed parasympathetic innervation

can cause priapism

important to remember that hypovolaemic shock is most common in spinal cord injuries regardless

Question 5

shoulder abduction

Answer 5

C5

Question 6

flexion at elbow

Answer 6

C5, C6

Question 7

extension at elbow

Answer 7

C 7, 8

Question 8

finger flexion

Answer 8

C8

Question 9

finger adduction and abduction

Answer 9

T1

Question 10

hip flexion

Answer 10

L1, 2

Question 11

Knee flexion

Answer 11

L5, S2

Question 12

knee extension

Answer 12

L3, L4

Question 13

plantaflexion

Answer 13

S1, S2

Question 14

Dorsiflexion

Answer 14

L4, 5

Question 15

great toe dorsifelxion

Answer 15

L5

Question 16

toe adduction

Answer 16

S2, 3

Question 17

main types of incomplete cord injuries

Answer 17

central cord
anterior cord
posterior cord
brown sequard

Question 18

central cord syndrome most commonly occurs due to

Answer 18

hyperextension injury of the cervical spine with OA

Question 19

symptoms of central cord syndrome

Answer 19

paralysis of arms , sacral sparing, legs usually not affected as corticospinal tract for the upper limbs is more central

Question 20

symptoms of anterior cord syndrome

Answer 20

loss of motor function (corticospinal tracts) as well as loss of coarse touch, pain and temperature sensation (lateral spinothalamic tract) whilst proprioception, vibration sense and light touch are preserved (dorsal columns) below the level of injury

Question 21

posterior cord syndrome

Answer 21

dorsal colum function lost - proprioception, vibration, fine touch

Question 22

what is brown sequard

Answer 22

ipsilateral loss of fine touch proprioception and vibration and motor function
contralateral loss of pain and temperature