If you have suffered a spinal injury, chances are your injury has been categorized as either complete or incomplete. While this is often misinterpreted as meaning the spinal cord was either completely or partially severed, the measure of whether a spinal injury is complete or incomplete is actually dependent on how it affects sensory and motor function.

Incomplete spinal cord injuries occur when the spinal cord is bruised, stretched, crushed, or partially severed and the injured person is still able to retain some sensory and motor function. The degree of function retained depends on the extent of the injuries suffered.
Complete spinal cord injuries are absolute and result in a total or near-total loss of motor function and sensation below the area of injury. A common example of this would be a fully severed spinal cord. While it may be possible to regain some function and feeling, it will require extensive treatment and rigorous physical therapy.

In most situations, the completeness of a spinal cord injury is not fully known until 6 to 8 weeks after the injury occurs.

Incomplete spinal injuries can be further categorized by the type of trauma suffered, where on the spinal cord the injury occurred, and the significance of the resulting loss of function. Some of the most common types of incomplete or partial spinal cord injuries include:

Anterior cord syndrome: An injury to the front of the spinal cord that damages the motor and sensory pathways of the spinal cord. Typically, the injured person may retain some sensation but will struggle with movement.

Central cord syndrome: An injury to the center of the cord which damages the nerves that carry signals from the brain to the spinal cord. Central cord injuries can result in loss of fine motor skills, paralysis of the arms, and partial impartment in the legs. Injured individuals may also suffer the loss of bowel and bladder control as well as the ability to sexually function.

Brown-Sequard syndrome: An injury to one side of the spinal cord. Loss of function will be more pronounced on one side of the body while the other side may retain full function. The severity of the injury and loss of function varies greatly from patient to patient.

When loss of function or sensation occurs, it occurs beneath the highest vertebrae to suffer significant damage. This is because the paralyzing injury effectively blocks or breaks the signal being sent by the brain down the spinal cord.

Typically, paralysis will be defined as:

Tetraplegia (Quadriplegia): Severe spinal injuries to the cervical spinal cord (C1-C8 vertebrae) that result in varying degrees of paralysis in all limbs. In addition to limb paralysis, tetraplegia can result in difficulties with bladder and bowel control, respiration, and other essential and routine bodily functions. Generally, the higher on the cervical spinal cord occurs, the greater the loss of sensation and function.

Paraplegia: Injuries to the thoracic spinal cord (T1-T12 vertebrae) which results in loss of sensation and movement in the lower half of the body, including the legs. As with cervical spinal cord injuries, the severity of the injury is greater when they occur closer to the top thoracic vertebra.

Triplegia: Injuries the result in loss of sensation and movement in one arm and both legs. Triplegia is generally the product of an incomplete spinal cord injury.

Although spinal cord injuries can occur without causing paralysis, symptoms can have a devastating impact on a person’s quality of life. Beyond paralysis, spinal cord injuries are associated with other serious health complications, including:

Respiratory problems
Bladder control
Blood circulation issues
Persistent pain
Depression

In some cases, spinal cord injuries can even result in death. Damage to the high cervical nerves (C1 – C4) result in ventilation dependency or coma and are usually fatal.

Car accidents are at the top of the list of causes of spinal injuries. Beyond vehicle occupants, pedestrians are also frequently involved in motor vehicle accidents and can also suffer serious spinal injuries. In this new age of distracted pedestrians, this type of spinal cord injury victim is on the rise. Another cause of many spinal cord injuries had nothing to do with motor vehicles; the well-known slip and fall injury. Significant spinal cord damage can result from such falls.

Significant spinal cord injuries can result in paralysis, either temporary or permanent. The degree of paralysis that can result from a spinal cord injury is in large part the result of where on the spinal cord the injury occurred. Trauma to the neck, known as the cervical spine area, can result in the most severe level of spinal injury. Trauma to the upper spine area can result in quadriplegia, leaving the victim unable to move the arms or legs. Loss of bowel and bladder control, even respiratory issues, can result from such a severe injury. Severe spinal injuries in the mid to lower back, the thoracic or lumbar regions, can result in paraplegia, leaving the victim wheelchair-bound, unable to walk.