The spinal cord is the main line that brings all nerve signals back to the brain so when this is damaged it interrupts the line. When the line is damaged bad enough the signal cannot pass and therefore cannot communicate with the brain. When for example the legs can no longer communicate with the brain they can no longer receive the "orders" to move, meaning paralysis.
Spinal fusion carries a risk of nerve damage. Rarely, delayed paralysis can occur, probably from loss of oxygen to the spine during surgery. Infection may occur. Bone from the bone bank carries a small risk of infection.
Alcohol use is a factor of about 1 and 4 spinal cord injuries. Most of these injuries occur in college age people with the percent of injuries causing paralysis that involve alcohol approximately 86%.
Yes, paralysis can occur on both sides of the body, a condition known as bilateral paralysis. This can happen due to various medical conditions, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injuries affecting both sides of the nervous system. In contrast, paralysis that affects only one side of the body is called hemiplegia. The specific cause and extent of paralysis can vary widely depending on the underlying condition.
There are different degrees of paralysis that occur after the spinal cord has been injured. Sometimes it is compressed by bone and when the pressure is released they get back total function of their limbs. In the case of Christopher Reeves, his spinal cord was severed and had a gap between the two ends. There is nobody that to this day had recovered fully from such a trauma. Hopefully someday there will be a cure for it, but as of right now, they are still working on it.
There are many complications resulting from paralysis, which can prove to be fatal. Most of these complications have to do with infections of the lungs, urinary tract, or skin (due to pressure sores). In this way, paralysis due to spinal cord injury could be fatal even if the initial trauma was not.
records show that two thirds of all bedsores occur in people over age 70. People who are neurologically impaired, such as those with spinal injuries or paralysis, are also at high risk.
Todd's paralysis usually strikes individuals who have epilepsy (recurrent seizures ), although it may occur after any seizure.
yes
Sleep paralysis typically occurs during the stage of sleep known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
the spinal cords role in reflexes is to help you move about when it is needed when reacting to a stimuli
Spinal cord infarction occurs when one of the three major arteries that supply blood (and therefore oxygen) to the spinal cord is blocked.
Yes. Even though the spinal cord is severed, all the reflexes still work both above and below the severed spinal cord.