If you suspect a spinal cord injury requiring urgent medical attention. Symptoms of spinal cord injury:
Severe pain in the neck, head or back.
Tingling or numbness in hands, fingers, feet.
Partial or total loss of control over a particular body part.
Acute delayed or urinary bladder and rectum.
The difficulties of coordination and walking.
The feeling of pressure in the chest.
Shortness of breath.
An unusual swelling in the head or back.
Radiological study of spinal cord injury
Radiological study of spinal cord trauma usually begins with conventional radiography. In many cases, can be performed radiography of the spine. In addition to X-rays, a very important role in the diagnosis of these injuries are computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
Lumbar puncture should be performed in all patients with closed trauma of the spine and spinal cord, except in cases where there are indications for urgent surgical intervention, as. treatment policy does not depend on its outcome, such as gross spinal deformities (especially vertebral canal), depressed fractures of the arches, which indicate the compression of the spinal cord. Contraindication to puncture or damage are the cervical, accompanied by severe general condition of the patient, which is caused by swelling of the rising of the medulla oblongata, and extensive bedsores at the proposed puncture.
