Week 2 - Spinal Cord Disorders Flashcards
What is a spinal cord injury?
Damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling.
What can cause SCI?
Fracture
Dislocation
Penetration
Non-traumatic
A tumour is an example of what type of cause of SCI?
Non traumatic
What is the mechanism of injury for SCI?
Direct trauma
Compression
Ischemia
How long is hypoxia in SCI for injury to occur?
1-3 minutes
True or false, hypoxia for longer than 1-3 minutes causes disruption to ascending and descending nerve pathways?
True
What 3 types of impairment can SCI cause?
Motor
Sensory
Autonomic
What motor impairment can be seen with SCI?
Paralysis
What 4 sensory impairments can result from SCI?
Temperature
Touch
Pain
Proprioception
What 4 autonomic impairments can result from SCI?
Bowel
Bladder
Sexual function
Vasomotor
How many people are affected by spinal injury in Australia?
12,000
What is the highest cause of SCI?
Transport related injuries
True or false, SCI affects more females than males?
False, 84% are male, 16% female
What age group has the most frequent number of spinal cord injuries?
15-24 years
How is SCI diagnosed?
Imaging
Clinical assessments
What imaging can be used to diagnose SCI?
CT
MRI
X-ray
What clinical assessments can be used to diagnose SCI?
ASIA impairment scale
What does ASIA stand for?
American Spinal Injury Association
What does the ASIA impairment scale diagnose?
Neurological level and complete/incomplete injury
True or false: Neurological level of injury is at the same level as the vertebral level or injury/
False. Spinal cord segments may not arise at the same level of vertebral segment.
What 3 areas do we assess as practitioners for SCI?
Motor function
Sensory Function
Autonomic function
What is a complete class A on the ASIA Impairment Scale?
No motor or sensory function is preserved in S4/S5
What is an incomplete class B on the ASIA Impairment Scale?
Sensory but not motor function is preserved below the neurological level and includes S4/S5
What is an incomplete class C on the ASIA Impairment Scale?
Motor function is preserved below the neurological level and more than half of key muscles below the neurological have a muscle grade less than 3
What is an incomplete class D on the ASIA Impairment Scale?
Motor function is preserved below the neurological level and at least half of key muscles below the neurological level have a muscle grade of 3 or more
What is a normal class E on the ASIA Impairment Scale?
Motor and sensory function are normal
What is a complete injury?
The spinal cord is completely severed