Spinal Hemiplegia: Causes and Treatments

Spinal hemiplegia or spinal cord paralysis occurs when the back in injured. In most cases of severe injury to the back the spinal cord can be easily damaged with resulting loss of sensation and absence of motor control below the injury. The spinal cord is a vital organ which carries many nerves from the brain to various parts of the body. The spinal cord is encased in a thin bony framework but has gaps in between which allows the nerves to pass. Basically there are only three types of nerves which run in the spinal cord. Those nerves which carry sensations like pain, temperature, touch, or pressure, nerves which control movement and a third group of nerves known as the autonomic system. The autonomic nervous system is beyond human control and controls organs like the bladder, bowel, heart, eyes and anus.
When the spinal cord is damaged, severity of injury depends on the degree of trauma and where the injury has occurred. The higher the injury in the spinal cord, the more severe the injury. In North America, the most common cause of spinal hemiplegia is trauma. Both blunt and penetrating trauma injure the spinal cord. Each year it is estimated that about 10,000 young adult males sustain severe injury resulting in spinal hemiplegia.
When the spinal cord is damaged, the nerve may become bruised, pinched or completely sheared off. Asides from trauma, spinal hemiplegia can also occur from infections like tuberculosis, cancers, falls from heights, sports related injury or violence. Other rare causes of spinal cord injury include multiple sclerosis, degenerative disc disease and spread of cancer.
The symptoms of spinal hemiplegia depend on the degree and location of injury. In severe cases one may not be able to move the hands or leg, have no bowel or bladder control and have difficulty breathing. Many individuals with spinal cord injury have no pain sensations below the injury. With time complications of spinal cord injury include development of bed sores, blood clots, joint contractures, bladder infections and leg swelling.
The diagnosis of spinal cord injury is made from x rays and use of MRI or CT scan. The treatment of spinal cord injury is difficult. If there is mild injury, then recovery is possible but in most cases of severe injury the prognosis is guarded. Steroids have been used to treat spinal hemiplegia but so far have not proven successful. Most people with spinal hemiplegia undergo prolonged rehabilitation to regain function. Regular physical therapy includes motion exercises to prevent blood clots and muscle contracture.

There are many alternative care treatments that have been hyped up to cure spinal hemiplegia but unfortunately most of these are scams. Spinal cord paralysis can be prevented by wearing seat belts, avoiding alcohol and use of illicit drugs. Sometimes, however, spinal hemiplegia may occur during sports and it is simply a case of bad luck.