The spinal cord is a tube-like structure consisting of nerves that carry commands from your brain to other parts of your body and sensory information from the body to the brain. Together, the brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS), which allows us to control our muscle movements, feel sensations, and much more – nearly everything we do is dependent on it.
Because the spinal cord plays such a crucial role in our overall wellbeing, injuries are serious and often result in permanent damage. The physical trauma and severity of symptoms can make daily life significantly challenging, which is why diagnosing and treating these injuries immediately is so important.
So how are spinal cord injuries diagnosed, and what types of spinal cord injury diagnosis tests do doctors use to determine the specific type injury?
In most cases, an injury of the spinal cord is the direct result of a serious physical accident. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA), the most common causes of spinal cord injuries are:
If a spinal cord injury is suspected following any of the above traumatic events, immediate medical care is required. A spinal cord injury patient must be immobilised, diagnosed and treated promptly to give them the best possible chance at recovery.
Very rarely, an SCI can be caused by something other than a traumatic incident. These non-traumatic causes include degenerative diseases, cancer, congenital health issues, infections and inflammation.
Spinal cord injuries generally diagnosed as “complete” or “incomplete”. A complete SCI involves total paralysis below the point of injury and occurs when the cord is fully severed. An incomplete SCI occurs when the cord is only partially severed or bruised, and causes partial loss of feeling below the point of injury. More than 60% of spinal cord injuries are incomplete.
Depending on the severity of the injury, symptoms can range anywhere from temporary loss of sensory functions to complete paralysis from the neck down.
While symptoms vary greatly depending on the type of injury, a few of the most common symptoms of an SCI include:
Being able to effectively communicate the symptoms of a spinal cord injury to a doctor is the first step in reaching a diagnosis and developing a treatment plan. So how are spinal cord injuries diagnosed?
Before any spinal cord injury diagnosis tests, a doctor will perform a physical examination. Doctors are able to determine which sections of the vertebrae (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral) are damaged by examining the patient’s muscle movement and reflexes.
If the patient is able to respond, the doctor will also ask questions about when and how the injury occurred, their past medical history, and the types of symptoms they’re currently experiencing.
To determine the nature and severity of the injury, doctors will perform one or more of the following spinal cord injury diagnosis tests:
Once the necessary spinal cord injury diagnosis tests are completed, the injury is described using the ASIA impairment scale. From most to least severe, the diagnoses are as follows:
Even though the effects of an SCI are often permanent, there is hope after a spinal cord injury diagnosis. Depending on the severity of the damage, a combination of rehabilitative care and symptom reducing drugs can provide the help people need to lead independent and active lives.