The spinal cord is made up of many long, thin strands of nervous tissue that extend from the medulla oblongata in the stem of the brain through to the lumbar region of the vertebral column. This organ is one of the most important within your body, it controls the body’s movements and sensations by sending and receiving signals to and from the brain and this of how humans turn thoughts into actions and feel sensations such as pain when you hurt a specific area of your body such as a cut.
When these sensitive nervous strands experience serious trauma this can cause the spinal cord strands to partially sever or sever entirely, causing the victim to be either paraplegic (when patient loses function from waist down) or quadriplegic (when patient loses function from shoulders down). This is caused when the signals are unable to pass through to the rest of the cord due to the nervous strands of the cord being detached or severed, but in some cases the spinal cord is still halve attached and can still receive and sent faint signals. This such injury can be caused by many circumstances such as sporting injuries, traumatic injury to the face, neck, head, chest, or back, electric shock and falling from extreme heights, just to surface a few.
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Scientists have tested and researched many possible cures for spinal cord injuries but in 2005 stem cell treatment was discovered and this was the turning point in spinal cord
* White matter is one of the two components of the central nervous system, and it consists of glial cells and myelinated axons that transmit signals from one region of the cerebrum to another as well as in between the cerebrum and lower brain centers. Grey matter contains neural cell bodies. Unlike white matter, it is mostly made up of myelinated axon tracts. Tracts are bundles of fibers that connect to different parts of the CNS. Roots receive information sent by neurons. Spinal nerves refer to a mixture of spinal nerves, which carry
There are about a quarter of a million people in the United States living with spinal cord injuries. In addition, between 7,600 and 10,000 new injuries occur each year. Nearly half of these new injuries will occur in young people between the ages of 16 and 30. As a person in this category, I have become very interested in the research to find a cure for spinal cord injuries and hope to share some of the information I found with you today. In order for you to fully understand the details I will be sharing with you, I'd like to begin with a
After researching about paraplegic and quadriplegic, it has been determined how they occur and in what parts of the body they affect. According to John Hopkins Medical, if a person suffers with paraplegic or quadriplegic, it is caused by damage to the spinal cord. To determine whether a person has a spinal injury, doctors will use clinical signs to help determine the severity of the injury. When the spinal cord has been injured, the patient might feel pain, and some disorders; such as motor or sensory. When this occurs, it allows the doctor to determine the cause of the injury, however; most spinal injuries are caused by traumatic accidents. The two
The spinal cord is the final common pathway from the brain to the muscles. It controls all the sensory inputs received from different locations throughout the body. The spinal cord also controls voluntary muscle responses. Some elementary reflexes are local to the spinal cord, but voluntary muscle
The spinal cord is composed of gray matter, which is surrounded by white matter. The gray matter is divided into dorsal, lateral and ventral columns. Each of the columns contain axon tracts related to specific functions. In the dorsal horns, the neurons receive sensory information that enters the spinal cord via the dorsal roots of the spinal nerves. The
Spinal cord injuries are characterized by two distinct injury phases. The primary injury phase is represented by all the tissue directly damaged at the time of injury. The damage seen in this phase is primarily shearing of cells, destruction of local vasculature, and severe disruption of spinal cord function. The secondary injury phase is characterized by inflammation of the injury site, immune-mediated tissue destruction, and edema formation at the lesion site. The nature of spinal cord injuries makes the damage done by the primary injury irreversible. The majority of therapeutic research is done with the intention of lessening the damage done during the secondary injury phase. One major complication faced by researchers trying to control the secondary injury phase is the localized destruction of vasculature. Without a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, many of the cells in the spinal cord will begin to die rapidly, oftentimes releasing biological signals that encourage other cells to die as well. The uncontrolled movement of fluid into the lesion site causes the tissue to swell, further complicating the processes of rebuilding vasculature. The movement of immune
In fact, the cervical spine is the most vulnerable vertebrae in the body, given that it’s the most movable spine. Dislocation is due to head injury, a fall, motor vehicle accidents, hyperextension, most of the time caused by trauma, consequently causing damage to our spinal cord or our neurologic structures.
The central nervous system is what connects the brain to the muscles of the body. When a patient has an injury to the spinal cord, movements in certain parts of the body will be affected based on the location of the injury. If the injury affects hand motion then many day to day tasks are affected. This literature review seeks to understand how an injury to the spinal cord impacts movement, and what has been done so far to help those affected by spinal cord injuries.
Discoveries from stem cells have been substantial within the last 20 years, with breakthrough treatments for diseases and conditions previously thought to be incurable. For instance, the case of Portuguese patient Silvio, who, due to an accident, suffered Grade A spinal cord injury, and “was left with no movement of his legs and minimal
Having a spinal cord injury can be a very life changing event in many ways. It can affect the ability to function in different daily activities. Spinal cord injury mostly affects people during their early adult 19 years old and an average age at the time of injury of 38 (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center 2006). Since a spinal cord injury affects all systems of the human body, a lot of people who end up with a spinal injury have serious inquires about how their injuries will affect their performance in a sexual relationship. The way you feel about sex and the ability to have sex is important and is different for everyone. Having injury to the spinal cord will have some effect on sexual functions in the body. The level of which sexual
Spinal cord injuries can be extremely debilitating with significant impairment in autonomic, sensory, and motor function (Coll-Miro et al., 2016). The prevalence in Canada is on the rise with approximately 86,000 individuals suffering from such injuries as of 2010 (Noonan et al., 2012). Spinal cord injuries are generally classified as either traumatic or non-traumatic, depending on etiology (Sabapathy et al., 2015). In addition, they are subdivided into either complete or incomplete, depending on whether the spinal cord section is fully or partially damaged (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015). The latter classification has better clinical outcomes as some neurologic function is reserved (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015). Other subtypes include paraplegia and quadriplegia denoting paralysis of the lower body or all limbs, respectively (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015; Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). The pathogenesis of spinal cord injuries is characterized by primary tissue damage due to the force of impact, followed by secondary tissue damage as a result of the inflammatory response (Sabapathy et al., 2015; Coll-Miro et al., 2015). The symptoms and severity may vary depending on the location and pathology of the contusion (Sabapathy et al., 2015). Presenting symptoms include but are not limited to numbness or pain in the extremities, loss of sensation, impaired movement or gait, abnormal reflexes, disrupted bladder or bowel function, and sexual dysfunction (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Several
Whereas the spinal cord (often referred to as the brainstem) is the pathways that enables nerve impulses to reach their various destinations in the body. The central nervous system main function is to receive information from the different parts of the body, in which must be analysed and stored in order for it to send out instructions based on those pieces of information. The central nervous system’s main function is to coordinate the numerous organs and muscles required to perform the individual’s desired action(s) (Walker, 2005).
Five criteria must be met which includes authority, information, objectivity, ease of navigation and privacy and security policies. The website used for my research was www.christopherreeve.org. The website met the five criteria. Authority was displayed in several ways. The author, Judith Lubinsky is qualified as an expert in the spinal cord injury field. Judith is responsible for web production and social media for the website. The contact information and credentials for the author was clearly stated. Information is updated daily to keep readers informed of any changes. The information posted is accurate and appropriate for the intended audience. The author provides an unbiased comprehensive review of spinal cord injuries and management. The sponsor for the website is The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The source of funding does not have an impact on the information provided. The website provides easy navigation with reliable information, treatment options, clinical trials and ways to get involved. The website provided clear privacy and security
Approximately 11,000 spinal cord injuries involving Paraplegia are reported in the United States yearly. These injuries occur as a result of automobile and motorcycle accidents, falls, sporting accidents, and gunshot wounds; although, it is also caused by congenital conditions. When the spinal nerve signals below the level of the injury is partially cut off from the brain, this results in Paraplegia disability. This is an impairment of motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The most affected areas of the spinal canal by Paraplegia are related directly either with the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions. Spinal Cord injuries are medical emergencies. Immediate treatment can reduce long-term effects. There are
Even though the brain is the major control center if the body, its job would not be possible without the spinal cord. The spinal cord is the major organ that helps information travel between the body and the brain. Nerves branch in the peripheral system from, either the brain stem or spinal cord, each nerve attaches to a specific area of the torso and limbs it 's responsible for communication to and from those regions. There are three very important