Spinal Cord Injury Case Study

Spinal Cord Injury is a major problem that effects approximately 282,000 people in the U.S. and estimated 17,000 new SCI cases each year (“National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center,” 2016, p.1). The leading cause of spinal cord injury (SCI) are car accidents (29.3%), followed by falls (22%), gunshot wounds (16.9%), and sport injuries (8%) primarily accounting with males (Vallines, 2016). Leading that males have an accounting primarily with car accidents, that what happened to a male name Alex A. Alex A. a 22-year-old male had a car accident that caused a fracture in his vertebra. Immediately the patient was taken to the emergency room and was evaluated with a SCI. The car accident caused Alex to have no movement or sensory function below C2, but was only able to move his eyes and mouth. A surgery was performed to stabilized the fracture and …show more content…
Quadriplegic injury is understood as damage of the cervical spinal cord segments resulting in the loss of partial or total function in all four extremities (Miller, 2003). A quadriplegic patient first symptoms after an accident is impairment movement or sensory function in the arms and legs (“Symptoms of Quadriplegia,” n.d). In this case when all four extremities are not able to function normally the bowel and bladder control, sexual function, breathing and other autonomic functions would be affected too. C1-C4 cervical segments supply the diaphragm to help an individual to breath which in this case, the patient was having problem breathing he was required a ventilator to breath. C5 helps with the flexion of the biceps and elbow muscles. C6 relates with the extension of the wrist and rotation of the arm. C7 straightens the elbow and fingers and pronates and flex the wrist. C8 is the flexion of the fingers. Majority of the tasks with his arms are limited but with help of physical or massage therapy the patient will regain his motor and sensory