What happens if the cervical spinal cord is damaged?

Emergency signs and symptoms Extreme back pain or pressure in your neck, head or back. Weakness, incoordination or paralysis in any part of your body. Numbness, tingling or loss of sensation in your hands, fingers, feet or toes. Loss of bladder or bowel control.

What are the symptoms of cervical spine injury?

Common Cervical Injury Symptoms

Inability to breathe on one’s own without assistance (C1-C4)
Impaired ability or inability to speak (C1-C4)
Numbness, tingling, or loss of feeling below the level of the injury.
Paralysis in the legs, torso, and arms.
Inability to control bladder and bowel function.

Can you recover from cervical spinal cord injury?

Unfortunately, at this time, there is no “cure” for a cervical spinal cord injury or any way to outright reverse damages caused by one. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t can’t regain some function. Many cervical SCI survivors attain some level of recovery through different types of treatment.

What causes damage to the cervical spine?

Trauma is the most common cause of cervical injury, and this can include motor vehicle accidents, falls, penetrating or blunt trauma, sports-related or diving injuries. [4][5] Nontraumatic causes can include compression fractures from osteoporosis, arthritis, or cancer and inflammation of the spinal cord.

What does the cervical spine control?

C1, C2, and C3 (the first three cervical nerves) help control the head and neck, including movements forward, backward, and to the sides. The C2 dermatome handles sensation for the upper part of the head, and the C3 dermatome covers the side of the face and back of the head.

What does a complete spinal cord injury of the cervical vertebrae result in?

Cervical spinal cord injuries usually cause loss of function in the arms and legs, resulting in quadriplegia. The 12 vertebra in the chest are called the thoracic vertebra.

What parts of the body are affected by the cervical spine?

In the cervical spine, there are eight pairs of spinal nerves labeled C1 to C8, which innervate the neck, shoulder, arm, hand, and more.

What are symptoms of nerve damage in the neck?

Symptoms of pinched nerve in the neck include:

A sharp pain in the arm.
Pain in the shoulder.
A feeling of numbness or pins and needles in the arm.
Weakness of the arm.
Worsening pain when you move your neck or turn your head.

Will spinal cord injuries ever be cured?

The Spinal Cord Can’t Heal Itself That being said, there is no “cure” for spinal cord injury. When the axons in the spinal cord are crushed or torn beyond repair, a chain of biochemical and cellular events occur that kill neurons, strip axons of their protective myelin insulation, and cause an inflammatory response.

How do you treat a cervical spine injury?

Conservative treatment includes time, medication, brief bed rest, reduction of strenuous physical activity and physical therapy. A doctor may prescribe medications to reduce the pain or inflammation and muscle relaxants to allow time for healing to occur.

What injuries can people have of the cervical spine?

All cervical spinal cord injuries will cause issues for bladder and bowel control, but those with lower-level injuries will be able to more effectively manage these issues. The most common causes of cervical spinal cord injuries are traumatic events such as automobile accidents, falls, sporting injuries and acts of violence.

What are symptoms of cervical spinal injury?

Cervical spine fractures, more commonly known as a broken neck, are usually caused by a violent trauma and may cause the patient pain, loss of sensation, paralysis, or death. Symptoms often include pain at the site of injury, pain in the arms or neck, numbness, and paralysis.

What causes malalignment of the cervical spine?

Injuries to the neck, such as whiplash or a sports injury, can cause misalignments in the cervical spine. Repetitive trauma can also cause these misalignments. Poor posture, holding the head in a particular way, staring at screens and devices too frequently, sleeping in odd positions, and more are all part of repetitive trauma.

What are symptoms of cervical nerve compression?

Symptoms of Cervical Nerve Compression. Pain in the shoulders, neck arms or chest. Stiff, tender neck. Tingling or “pins and needles” sensation in the arms, hands, legs or feet. Numbness and weakness in the arms and legs. Dizziness.