Brief overview
- Symptoms of a spinal injury: back pain, limited/no mobility and/or sensitivity, swelling
- Diagnosis of a spinal injury using imaging procedures such as X-ray, MRI, CT
- Treatment of a spinal injury: immobilization/stabilization, surgical intervention if necessary, drug treatment for pain or muscle spasms
Attention!
- Car accidents and sports accidents are the most common causes of spinal injuries. After a fall or a violent collision, injuries to the spine are often visible on X-rays.
- If the spinal cord is injured in children, the nerves may only be temporarily dysfunctional. This means that they have short-term pain that shoots into their legs or arms in a flash.
- If partial paralysis as a result of a spinal injury subsides within a few weeks, the chances of a full recovery are good. In contrast, symptoms that are still present after six months often remain permanent.
Spinal injury: symptoms
They depend on which structures were damaged in the spinal injury and to what extent. In general, a spinal injury causes symptoms such as
- Back pain
- Restriction of mobility or inability to move
- Swelling and hematomas
It is common for nerves and the spinal cord to be affected when the spine is injured, as the structures lie close together.
Symptoms of spinal cord injuries
If the spinal cord is affected by a spinal injury, this is reflected in functional disorders below and at the injured site. If the injury is in the neck area, for example, the affected person may no longer be able to move their arms (properly). If the spinal cord is damaged further down, this can manifest itself in functional disorders of the legs. Sometimes they can no longer control their bowels and bladder.
In addition, the affected person has pain in the affected area.
Symptoms of nerve damage
With nerve injuries, the affected person loses feeling in and around the injured area and often no longer has control over the muscles that are supplied by the affected nerves. This restriction can be complete or partial, temporary or permanent. The latter is the case, for example, if the nerve pathways in the spinal cord have been destroyed or the spinal cord has been severed.
Symptoms of muscle injuries
If movement of certain parts of the body is permanently restricted or impossible as a result of a spinal injury, the muscles that are no longer used can become permanently shortened.
Spinal injury: diagnosis
In order to determine the exact position and extent of the spinal injury (bone, spinal cord) and any accompanying injuries (e.g. to neighboring muscles), the doctor will use imaging techniques. These include:
- X-ray: An X-ray image shows whether bony structures (e.g. vertebrae) are injured. However, spinal cord damage is not visible.
- Computed tomography (CT): This can show injuries to the bony spine much more accurately than an X-ray. Other tissue structures can also be seen in the CT scan.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Like computed tomography, this method, also known as magnetic resonance imaging, provides very detailed images. They help the doctor to detect injuries to the spinal cord or spinal ligaments, for example. However, this method shows bone injuries less accurately.
Spinal injury: therapy
Surgical intervention may be necessary in the event of a spinal injury, for example if the doctor needs to remove pieces of bone or blood accumulations that are pressing on the spinal cord. He then immobilizes the patient or the spine until the bones and other tissue have healed. Sometimes it is also necessary to insert steel pins during the operation to stabilize the injured spine.
Pain resulting from a spinal injury can be relieved with painkillers (analgesics). Active substances such as ibuprofen or paracetamol help with moderate discomfort. After an operation, on the other hand, stronger painkillers (opiates) are often necessary.
If a spinal injury results in paralysis due to muscle spasms (spastic paralysis), the doctor will prescribe muscle relaxants – i.e. medication that relieves the spasm. Such spastic paralysis can occur even weeks after the accident.
After acute treatment, the patient usually receives physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help them recover quickly and as fully as possible from the spinal injury.
Spinal injury: what to do?
If a spinal injury is suspected, first aiders must be extremely careful – even the slightest movement can lead to permanent paralysis. First aid for a spinal injury is therefore as follows:
- Call the emergency services immediately!
- Reassure the victim.
- If the injured person is conscious, do not move them if possible. Ask them to keep their head and neck very still. If you have mastered the cervical splint hold (see below), you can use it to stabilize the head and neck area.
- If the injured person is unconscious, you must place them in the recovery position – unconsciousness is more dangerous than any damage caused by moving the injured person. If an unconscious person is lying on their back, their tongue or vomit can obstruct their airway and cause them to suffocate.
For the cervical splint hold, kneel by the head of the casualty, grasp their neck with one hand, supporting the neck with your fingers and resting your thumb on the collarbone. Hold the head firmly with the other hand and press it lightly against the opposite forearm, turning it into a supportive splint.
Spinal injury: when to see a doctor?
Preventing spinal injuries
A spinal injury occurs in otherwise healthy people as a result of an unusually strong impact, for example a violent fall, a (motorcycle) accident or similar. The main way to prevent an injury is to behave carefully during sport and in traffic and not take any unnecessary risks. Motorcyclists can and should wear special protectors for the spine, while car drivers should make sure that the headrests of their seats are well adjusted so that they stabilize the neck area.
What else you can do: Regular, targeted strength training strengthens the back muscles, which in turn can then better support the spine. This can prevent a spinal injury in the event of an unforeseen impact.
