What Are The Different Types of Spinal Surgeries?

Spinal cord injuries can result in a wide variety of deficits. While these injuries vary in severity, they all result in the loss of communication between the brain and spinal cord. The spinal cord is a network of nerve fibers that control functions like reflexes, muscle movements, and sensation. When damage to the spinal cord causes paralysis, the patient is unable to move or feel below a certain area.

They can occur at any point along the spine. Injuries to the spinal cord range from minor injuries that cause only temporary symptoms to severe injuries that result in permanent paralysis.

Spinal cord injuries can also be classified according to the type of damage to the cord. This helps doctors determine the best course of treatment and recovery time.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

The most common types of incomplete spinal cord injuries result from car accidents, falls, or sports injuries. Patients with these injuries usually show signs of pain, spasms, and weakness in the lower part of their torso. They may also experience urinary or bowel problems. Some patients have no symptoms at all and can’t tell doctors about their injury. Depending on the extent of the injury, this type of treatment may help improve mobility, muscle function, strength, and bladder control.

Complete Spinal Cord Injuries

After an incomplete injury, the patient may show signs of improvement after physical therapy. With a complete injury, however, there may not be any evidence of injury at all. This type of injury can occur after a fall, tumor, infection, or other trauma. A complete injury may cause paralysis only in a specific area (e.g. the legs) or throughout the body (e.g. the arms). Treatment for complete injuries is similar to treatment for incomplete injuries.

Hemisplenigic Injuries

Hemisplenigic injuries result in damage to only one side of the spinal cord. This type of injury requires surgery to remove the damaged nerve, so it’s usually caused by a serious injury to the head or neck. Hemisplenigic injuries usually cause only the side of the body affected by the injury. This means the patient may be able to move some parts of the body, but not others. If a hemiplegic injury is severe, the patient may need a blood transfusion to help with clotting.

Epidural Injuries

Epidural injuries occur as a result of injuries to the brain. A head injury can cause this type of injury, but so can infection, stroke, or other conditions. The most common symptom of an epidural injury is severe pain in the back or legs. Patients may report numbness or tingling in the arms as well. After an epidural injury, there’s a good chance the patient will be able to walk. Epidural injuries are usually treated with antibiotics and painkillers. If the injury is severe, the patient may need surgery to remove the damaged part of the spine.

Anterior Cord Syndrome

These patients may be able to move their arms and legs and may even be able to walk. The condition usually improves over time. The condition can be very disabling, but it’s not as debilitating as complete or hemiplegic injuries. Treatment for anterior cord syndrome includes physical therapy, painkillers, and medications to help with spasms.

Posterior Cord Syndrome

Posterior cord syndrome causes damage to the back part of the spinal cord. The symptoms are caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls movement and sensation in the legs and arms. Patients with posterior cord syndrome may be able to move their legs and arms, but they’re usually unable to walk. These patients are also more likely to experience spasms or other symptoms related to nerve damage.

Traumatic SCI

A traumatic spinal cord injury occurs as a result of a direct blow to the head or a fall with the head striking a hard surface. When this happens, the nerve fibers that exit the spine can become damaged.

The degree of trauma determines the severity of the injury. The more severe the trauma, the greater the amount of nerve damage. The degree of trauma can be estimated from the nature of the injury. The person may have bruises, contusions, abrasions, or fractures on various parts of the head or body. If a blow to the lower back causes a fracture, the spinal cord could be damaged.

Infectious and Non-Infectious SCI

Infectious and non-infectious SCIs are caused by infections like meningitis and degenerative diseases like ALS. As the name suggests, infectious SCIs result from infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. These infections can also damage the nerve fibers of the spinal cord.

Non-infectious SCIs, on the other hand, are caused by degenerative diseases like ALS or other conditions like Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis. These conditions can cause the degeneration of the nerve fibers of the spinal cord.

Cervical and Thoracic SCI

Cervical and thoracic SCIs occur almost exclusively due to accidents involving the cervical vertebrae and thoracic vertebrae. The skull, the base of the skull, the vertebrae, and the spinal cord lie in this region. When someone drives too fast and crashes into one of these structures, the head can cause massive trauma to the spinal cord.

The cervical and thoracic vertebrae are connected to the spinal cord through ligaments and tendons. As a result, they are very likely to fracture and cause damage.

Summary

The main types of spinal cord injuries are traumatic, infectious, and degenerative. When the spinal cord is injured, the nerves that run through it are damaged. There are two main types of spinal cord injuries – traumatic and degenerative.

Traumatic spinal cord injuries are caused by blows to the head or the body. The degree of trauma determines the severity of the injury. The more severe the trauma, the greater the amount of nerve damage. Cervical and thoracic SCIs occur almost exclusively due to accidents involving the cervical vertebrae and thoracic vertebrae.

When the spinal cord is damaged, the patient is unable to move or feel below a certain level. Depending on the length of the injury, the patient may receive treatment to help heal the damaged nerves and muscles and restore movement.