Types
of Paralysis - Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia) and Paraplegia
 When
a person suffers a spinal cord injury, information travelling along the
spinal nerves below the level of injury, will be either completely or
partially cut off from the brain, resulting in Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia)
or Paraplegia.
The body will still be trying to send messages from below
the level of injury to the brain known as sensory messages, and the brain
will still be trying to send messages downwards to the muscles in the
body, known as motor messages. These messages however, will be blocked
by the damage in the spinal cord at the level of injury. Nerves joining
the spinal cord above the level of injury will be unaffected and continue
to work as normal.
Quadriplegia / Tetraplegia
Quadriplegia / Tetraplegia: is when a
person has a spinal cord injury above the first thoracic vertebra, paralysis
usually affects the cervical spinal nerves resulting in paralysis of all
four limbs. In addition to the arms and legs being paralyzed, the abdominal
and chest muscles will also be affected resulting in weakened breathing
and the inability to properly cough and clear the chest. People with this
type of paralysis are referred to as Quadriplegic or Tetraplegic.
Paraplegia
Paraplegia: is when the
level of injury occurs below the first thoracic spinal nerve. The degree
at which the person is paralyzed can vary from the impairment of leg movement,
to complete paralysis of the legs and abdomen up to the nipple line. Paraplegics
have full use of their arms and hands.
Cauda equina lesion: The
Cauda Equina is the mass of nerves which fan out of the spinal cord
at between the first and second Lumbar region of the spine. The
spinal cord ends at L1 and
L2 at which point a bundle of nerves travel downwards through
the Lumbar and Sacral vertebrae. Injury to these nerves will cause
partial or complete loss of movement and sensation. It is possible,
if the nerves are not too badly damaged, for them to grow again
and for the recovery of function. The resultant paralysis results in paraplegia, but this is known as a Cauda Equina Syndrome injury.
Level
of injury (Lesion)
The level of injury, otherwise known as a lesion, is the
exact point in the spinal cord at which damage has occurred. The levels
are determined by counting the nerves from the top of the spine downwards,
and these nerves are grouped into four different area’s. These are
the Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar and Sacral parts of the spinal cord.
These area’s are important in defining quadriplegia
and paraplegia, as damage to the spinal cord as these points directly
determines how groups of muscles, organs and sensations will be affected.
How the spinal cord has been damage is also a consideration
when evaluating a spinal cord injury. There are two types of lesion, these
are a complete injury and an incomplete injury. Someone with a complete
injury will have complete loss of muscle control and sensation below their
level of lesion. An incomplete injury is where maybe only the muscles
have been paralyzed, or where there is impaired sensation.
Functionality after a Spinal Cord Injury
The degree to which a persons body will work following
a spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia will depend
on the level of injury, and whether the injury was complete of incomplete.
In order to show what functionality will be possible following a complete
spinal cord injury, we have put together the most common abilities for
varying degree's of paralysis.
Click the levels below for a comparison
of complete injury levels and abilities.
C1
- C3 : C4
: C5
: C6
: C7
- C8 : T1
- T4 : T5
- T9 : T10
- L1 : L2
- S5
These abilities are not definitive, and slight variations
may be present.
Incomplete
Spinal Cord Injuries
| Anterior
Cord Syndrome: is when the damage is towards the front
of the spinal cord, this can leave a person with the loss or impaired
ability to sense pain, temperature and touch sensations below their
level of injury. Pressure and joint sensation may be preserved.
It is possible for some people with this injury to later recover
some movement.
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| Central
Cord Syndrome: is when the damage is in the centre of
the spinal cord. This typically results in the loss of function
in the arms, but some leg movement may be preserved. There may also
be some control over the bowel and bladder preserved. It is possible
for some recovery from this type of injury, usually starting in
the legs, gradually progressing upwards.
|
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| Posterior Cord
Syndrome: is when the damage is towards the back of the spinal
cord. This type of injury may leave the person with good muscle
power, pain and temperature sensation, however they may experience
difficulty in coordinating movement of their limbs.
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| Brown-Séquard
syndrome: is when damage is towards one side of the spinal
cord. This results in impaired or loss of movement to the injured
side, but pain and temperature sensation may be preserved. The opposite
side of injury will have normal movement, but pain and temperature
sensation will be impaired or lost.
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Read
about Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia) and Paraplegia
again
Support : Types of Paralysis
: Vertebral Column : Spinal
Cord : Myotomes & Dermatomes
Autonomic Dysreflexia : Spasticity
& Spasms : Temperature Regulation
: Respiratory System
Pressure Sores : Spinal
Cord Injury Research
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