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Spinal Cord Injury Function Levels – Adult and pediatric printable resources for speech and occupational therapists
A visual guide to spinal cord injury levels with their respective physiology and functional abilities, explanation of bowel protocols, and an overview of the American Spinal Cord Association (ASIA) scale of spinal cord impairment.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often affects young and fit people and will continue to affect them to a varying degree for the rest of their lives. Spinal cord injuries often occur after high-energy traumatic...
Responsible for the passage of sensory information from the skin -> thalamus -> somatosensory cortex of the postcentral gyrus. Anterior STT: Touch Lateral STT: Pain and temperature Decussates at the level of the spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, cable-like structure made up of hundreds of nerve fibers, which is approximately 17 inches (42 cm) long. The brain and the spinal cord compose the central nervous system.
The spinal consists of two kinds of nervous tissue called white and gray matter. Gray matter consists of the somas, dendrites, and proximal parts of the axons of neurons. It is therefore the site of all neural integration in the spinal cord. White matter has a bright pearly white appearance as a result of the abundance of myelin. It consists of bundles of axons (tracts) that carry signals from one level of the CNS to another. Both matter contain an abundance of glial cells.
Following spinal cord injury, most of us who are paralyzed think in terms of what has been lost below the level of injury. But what is more worrisome is the possibility that damage can also go the other way, ascending to higher levels in the cord, resulting in possible additional motor and sensory loss, increased spasticity, pain and more. Worse yet, it can happen years after the initial injury.
Spinal cord and cauda equina. Note that the spinal cord ends at about L1, with the conus medullaris. Nerve roots travel further down as the cauda equina. Their relative mobility within the cerebrospinal fluid decreases the risk of neural damage with subarachnoid injections done at the L4 level.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Syndromes Anterior Cord Syndrome: • Bilateral loss of motor, pain and temperature sensation below level of injury • Intact vibration and proprioception • Hyperflexion injury or disruption of anterior spinal artery Central Cord Syndrome: • Sensory and motor deficit • Upper extremities affected more than lower extremities • Hyperextension injury • Classically in older patients who have underlying cervical disease Brown-Séquard Syndrome: • Ipsilateral loss of motor…
As part of the Spinal Flow Technique Certification Program our students learn about the spine. Here is a diagram showing the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccyx regions.
