Treatments in Physical therapy have been planned to cure spinal shock damage in your body. If you’ve been diagnosed with spinal cord shock following a back injury, you may be inquisitive about the rehabilitation process. Because of the spine’s complex nature, it can be challenging to know whether paralysis, sensory loss, and other symptoms are temporary or permanent. Thankfully, by doing physical therapy, many people recover partially or entirely from spinal cord shock. A physical therapist will supervise you in the whole process of your recovery. Let’s have an overview of this condition and about healing.
Overview about spinal cord
Our brain is the central point in our body connected to all the nerves, and the spinal cord is the mainline—millions of vital nerve fibres from the spinal cord, which are protected under your spinal column. The spinal cord, which cushion’s by a layer of cerebral fluid, travels through the middle of each vertebra. Other nerves emerge from it at various places on your spinal column. They join with every part of your body besides the head and the face. Altogether our spinal cord and its peripheral nerves form the central nervous system. Knowledge in the form of electrical surges travel backs and forth through the nervous system, allowing your brain to communicate with your body. A physical therapist will diagnose and find the correct treatment for your problem in spinal shock rehabilitation.
Spinal shock symptoms
Usually, electrical impulses move freely through your nervous system. Sometimes, however, the spinal cord is compressed due to spinal injury and responds to that injury by swelling up. When this happens, impulses no longer travel through damaged areas properly, and you might experience the following spinal shock symptoms as a result:
- You lose sensation in your arms and legs.
- The movement failed in the affected limbs.
- Exaggerated reflexes.
- Muscle spasms.
- Loss of bladder control.
- Back pain.
- Stinging sensation in your spine.
- Difficulty in breathing.
- Pressure in your back or head.
- Imbalance.
- Weakness, incoordination, or paralysis.
- Problem with sexual function.
The above symptoms can often occur within minutes of the injury. Still, they can also manifest gradually over a few hours.
Location of Spinal Injury
A person’s specific symptoms depend on the position of the acute spinal cord bruise. Peripheral nerves appear from the spinal column at different places and connect with other parts of the body. Cervical nerves, which enlarge from the vertebrae in your neck, serve your arms, your upper trunk, and your neck. The supply to your mid-abdomen and the lower chest is done by thoracic nerves, which connect to your spinal cord in the upper back region. Lumbar and sacral nerves come from your lower back and transmit impulses to the legs and the organs in the lower part of your abdomen.
Potential cause of your spinal shock
Many things can result in spinal injury, and it’s not always because of dramatic falls—a significant proportion of spinal injuries are due to motor vehicles and industrial accidents. Further, any sports injuries, assaults, or any genetic conditions can also produce spinal injuries. But be careful if you are hit with arthritis, osteoporosis or any similar situations because, in this condition, a minor fall can also have significant consequences.
Step after suspected spinal injuries
Here most important is to immediately freeze all the body’s movements once you realize that you have encountered spinal injury. Your physical therapist is the professionally trained person to guide you on the correct moves at this time. An emergency response without the guidance of a physical therapy specialist can make the injury even worse. A person should be held as still as possible if any paramedics help is received. Your head, back and neck should be supported with the use of towels. Emergency responders routinely support and inactivate individuals with possible spine injuries before they are moved to the hospital.
Different types of Spinal shock
Mainly there are two different kinds of spinal cord shock, namely partial shock and complete shock. The symptoms depend on the location and severity of the injury. Now let us see the criteria of either kind of shocks:
Partial shock: You can still feel the sensation of hot, cold to a certain degree. You can make movements in some parts of your body below your spinal injury.
Complete shock: YOu cannot move any parts of your body and have lost almost all the sensation in those areas.
There are degrees of both partial and complete shock. So one should consult a doctor or a physical therapist at the earliest. After proper diagnosis, the practitioner or the therapist can assist you with further treatments and steps for your spinal injury. Spinal cord injuries are very diverse and depend on various factors; hence every person’s recovery process is different. The physical therapy rehabilitation team will help and guide you as you recuperate.
