What is SCI?
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs from your brain through your spine, carrying messages to and from your body. These messages are responsible for voluntary and involuntary movement, core body processes like breathing and temperature regulation, and sensory information like touch and pain.
Spinal cord injury occurs when the nerves responsible for sending messages to and from your arms, legs, torso, and organs become damaged. This can happen with or without damage to the bones of the spine, depending on the cause of the injury.
Spinal cord injury affects almost all the body systems, not just the ability to move. Learning to manage the effects on the bladder, bowel and skin after spinal cord injury are the most crucial elements to rehabilitation.
SCI terminology
You might come across some of the following terms being used when talking about spinal cord injury:
Traumatic or non-traumatic injury
Traumatic SCI occurs following a sudden, external impact which damages the cord.
Non-traumatic SCI might be caused by a sudden or long-term disease or lack of blood flow to the spinal cord.
ASIA
You may also hear about “the ASIA”. ASIA stands for ‘American Spinal Injuries Association’ who produced an internationally used assessment to help diagnose spinal cord injury. The assessment is called the ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS). Please see the link below which explains about the AIS in more detail.
Adult ISNCSCI Brochure – American Spinal Injury Association
Complete or incomplete injury
A complete injury to the spinal cord is diagnosed when there is no muscle movement or ability to feel touch or pressure around the anus. This means that there are no motor or sensory messages travelling to the lowest level of the spinal cord.
An incomplete injury means that there is some movement and/or sensation below the level of injury, though still not normal function. This means that some motor and/or sensory messages are able to travel to the lowest level of the spinal cord.
Whether an injury is complete or incomplete is determined through the ASIA Impairment Scale (see above).
Level of injury
Level of injury refers to where along the spinal column the nerves have been damaged. It is often abbreviated to a letter and a number, which correspond to the region of the spine and which vertebra within that region. For example, T2 means the second vertebra in the thoracic region. Injuries higher in the spine will affect more of the body.
Damage to the spinal cord in the cervical region (neck) will affect all four limbs as well as the trunk and organs which is commonly called tetraplegia (or sometimes quadriplegia).
Damage to the spinal cord in the thoracic region (upper and middle back) will affect the trunk, legs and organs which is commonly called paraplegia.
The cauda equina is a bundle of nerves in the lumbar region (lower back). Injuries here affect the lower limbs and the pelvic organs.
