Symptoms of paraplegia
Numerous symptoms can occur in the context of paraplegia. Damage to the spinal cord leads to an interruption of the nerve tracts. These thus lose their function.
Therefore, in addition to a sensitivity disorder, the musculature is also affected, resulting in paralysis. The extent of these paralyses can vary. On the one hand, it is decisive at what level the spinal cord damage occurred.
A cross-sectional syndrome in the area of the cervical spine leads to paralysis of the arms and legs. The respiratory musculature can also be affected. In the case of damage in the area of the thoracic or lumbar spine, the arms can often be moved normally, but those parts of the body that lie below the cross-section are paralyzed.
At the beginning of a paraplegic syndrome, these are flaccid paralyses. The arms and legs hang limply from the body. In the course of the disease, however, the flaccid paralysis usually develops into spasticity.
This is an increase in tone, i.e. permanent tension, of the muscles. The emptying of the bladder and intestines is also controlled by the spinal cord. It is often disturbed in paraplegia.
An injury to the spinal cord is not painful. However, pain can be caused by a fractured vertebra or the injury of soft tissue structures. The symptoms of incipient paraplegia depend on the level of damage to the spinal cord.
Neurological symptoms of paralysis occur. At the beginning these can only occur temporarily and vary in their severity. Neurological deficits are on the one hand sensory disturbances such as tingling pain or a feeling of numbness.
On the other hand, patients complain about disorders of the musculoskeletal system such as muscle weakness. In the further course of the disease, paralysis of the musculature may even occur. In addition to mobility disorders, problems can also occur when emptying the bowel or bladder.
If such symptoms occur it is important to consult a doctor immediately, because the beginning paraplegia can often be cured by an immediate surgical intervention. The symptoms are divided into a complete and an incomplete paraplegia. In complete paraplegia, the nerve fibers in the spinal cord are completely severed.
As a result, the conduction pathways are completely interrupted. The corresponding muscles can no longer be controlled by the nervous system and thus cannot be moved. Paralysis is the result.
In an incomplete paraplegia, not all nerve fibers of a spinal cord segment have been severed. Some of the signals can still be transmitted. Thus, a residual function of the musculature is preserved, even sensitivity disorders are only less pronounced.
The suspicion of a paraplegia is usually expressed by the affected person himself.In order to confirm this, the doctor has various tests and imaging procedures at his disposal, depending on the suspected cause. If an accident has occurred, the physician will have either an x-ray, a computed tomography (CT) or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan performed, with which the fracture of a vertebral body and the crushing of the spinal cord can be detected on the resulting image. These images then provide information about the extent and location of the damage, and also help in deciding whether surgery is necessary or not.
However, if the paraplegia has developed slowly, the doctor will perform a thorough neurological examination. This will include several tests to check sensitivity and muscle strength. In order to exclude or prove an inflammation of the spinal cord, a blood test may be necessary. Important differential diagnoses are paralyses caused by damage to the nerves in the brain or by a disease of the muscle itself. In these cases, however, the sensitivity is still intact.