Brain and spinal cord injuries

The brain and spinal cord injuries can cause damage to the brain nerves and compression and contusion of the spinal bones and these conditions can impair the neurological functions of the brain and the spinal cord. The main cause for brain and spinal cord injuries is traumatic injury. The traumatic brain injury (TBI), as result of mechanical or sports injury, can damage the skull that may result in fracture, cracks or intracranial hemorrhage, blood clots and lesions. This may cause impaired brain functions and coma, and it can be fatal. The spinal cord injuries (SCI) can be a result of trauma that can cause damage in the signal transmitting nerves, and the functions of the spinal cord and its associated organs may get impaired. The spinal cord injuries are classified according to the degree of spinal damage. They are: complete, incomplete, incomplete with muscle grading of less than 3, incomplete with muscle grading more than 3 and normal grading. 
Causes of brain and spinal cord injuries

The common causes of brain injuries are risky sports events such as skidding and ice skating, trampoline, motor and road traffic accidents, slip or fall, work place hazards and events of violence assaults. The common causes of Spinal cord injuries are sports related, work environment accidents, physical activity-related injuries such as slipping and falling, trampoline, physical assault and degenerative spinal disease with inflammatory reactions.

Symptoms

The traumatic brain injury can cause:

  • Fracture or cracks in the skulls
  • As a result of skull fracture, bruising of the brain or contusion can occur
  • Brain shift
  • Paralysis
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Dizziness
  • Lack of coordination and acute memory loss
  • Unconsciousness
  • Coma
  • Impaired voluntary functions

The traumatic spinal cord injury can cause:

  • Compression of the spinal cord bones
  • Tearing of the nerve fibers
  • Bladder or bowel dysfunction
  • Disc prolapse or herniation
  • Motor deficit
  • Sensory deficit
  • Tetraplegia
  • Pain
  • Paraplegia
  • Loss of functions in the lower extremities
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Bleeding of the spinal cord
  • Fecal and urinary incontinence

Diagnosis

For brain injuries:

  • CT
  • MRI
  • Serum blood glucose levels
  • Clinical and medical examinations.

For spinal cord injuries:

  • X-ray
  • CT and/or MRI
  • Neurological examinations to assess sensory and reflex functions

Treatment Options

The main treatment options for brain injuries are: Mechanical ventilation, sedatives, analgesics, paralytic drugs, infusion of Norepinephrine and other drugs for the symptomatic treatment of the condition. In many cases, surgery will be prescribed. The post-traumatic follow-ups include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and other rehabilitation procedures. 

The treatment options for spinal cord injuries are NSAIDs, therapeutic hypothermia, vassopressors and corticosteroids. The rehabilitation medicine can be useful in most of the patients.

Prognosis

In the brain injuries, the prognosis depends on the degree of epidural, subdural and arachnoids hemorrhage. Some of the injuries such as injury in the fourth floor of the ventricle can be treatable in a fall injury but in a sharp object attack/assault, the prognosis is usually fatal and even surgical procedure may not be useful. In the spinal cord injuries, the patients with incomplete injuries can recover with medicine and physical therapy but in case of complete injuries, some of the spinal functions may be permanently impaired.

Prevention

The brain-related injuries can be prevented by wearing helmets while driving and in hazardous work place, avoiding too risky sports activities especially in the rainy seasons, avoiding trampolines and refraining from violence activities. The Spinal cord injuries can be prevented by safe and slow driving practices, work place safety, avoiding slippery places in the home and once in a year medical check-up for osteoporosis events that can lead to pathological spinal cord fracture.

When to see a doctor

If you accidentally fall down in a hard surface that causes pain or bleeding in the head or severe pain in the back with numbness or abnormal changes in the lower extremities or urinary or fecal incontinence with dizziness or bleeding from the nose or ear, it may be a medical emergency and you need to rush to the hospital immediately.

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