What are the classifications for spinal cord injuries?

Most cases can be divided into two types of spinal cord injury – complete spinal cord injury vs. incomplete: A complete spinal cord injury causes permanent damage to the area of the spinal cord that is affected. Paraplegia or tetraplegia are results of complete spinal cord injuries.

What is the classification of the spine?

The current AOSpine Trauma classification subdivides the spinal column into 4 regions: the upper cervical spine (C0-C2), subaxial cervical spine (C3-C7), thoracolumbar spine (T1-L5), and the sacral spine (S1-S5, including coccyx).

What is a C4 level injury?

A C4 spinal cord injury occurs when damage is dealt about mid-way down the cervical spinal cord — the topmost portion of the spinal cord that is located in the neck and upper shoulders.

What is a C2 hangman fracture?

A hangman’s fracture is a bilateral fracture traversing the pars interarticularis of cervical vertebrae 2 (C2) with an associated traumatic subluxation of C2 on cervical vertebrae 3 (C3). It is the second most common fracture of the C2 vertebrae following a fracture of the odontoid process.

What is a 3 column spinal injury?

When the anterior and middle columns are involved, the fracture may be considered more unstable. When all three columns are involved, the fracture is by definition considered unstable, because of the loss of the integrity of the posterior stabilizing ligaments.

What is the most common spinal cord injury?

A study by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) found that the most common causes of spinal cord injuries include: Motor vehicle accidents (38%): Falls (30%): Acts of violence (14%):

What is Jefferson fracture?

Description. A Jefferson fracture is a bone fracture of the vertebra C1. The vertebra C1 is a bony ring, with two wedge-shaped lateral masses, connected by relatively thin anterior and posterior arches and a transverse ligament. The lateral mass on vertebra C1, who is taller, is directed laterally.

What happens if you fracture C1 and C2?

A C1 through C2 vertebrae injury is considered to be the most severe of all spinal cord injuries as it can lead to full paralysis—but is most often fatal. Depending upon their severity, these types of spinal cord injury are either categorized as complete or incomplete.

Why is it called a Jefferson fracture?

It is named after the British neurologist and neurosurgeon Sir Geoffrey Jefferson, who reported four cases of the fracture in 1920 in addition to reviewing cases that had been reported previously.

What are the 4 main functions of the spine?

Your spine, or backbone, is your body’s central support structure. It connects different parts of your musculoskeletal system. Your spine helps you sit, stand, walk, twist and bend.

What are the 5 parts of the spine?

Vertebrae are the 33 individual bones that interlock with each other to form the spinal column. The vertebrae are numbered and divided into regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx (Fig. 2). Only the top 24 bones are moveable; the vertebrae of the sacrum and coccyx are fused.

What is the spine?

(spine) The bones, muscles, tendons, and other tissues that reach from the base of the skull to the tailbone. The spine encloses the spinal cord and the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. Also called backbone, spinal column, and vertebral column.

What are the 5 levels of the spinal cord?

As mentioned above, our vertebrae are numbered and divided into five regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx.

What are the 3 main parts of the spine?

The spine itself has three main segments: the cervical spine, the thoracic spine, and the lumbar spine. The cervical is the upper part of the spine, made up of seven vertebrae (bones).

What is d11 and D12 in spine?

Cervical spine: 7 vertebrae (C1 – C7) Thoracic spine: 12 vertebrae (D1 – D12) Lumbar spine: 5 vertebrae (L1 – L5) Sacrum: 5 fused vertebrae (S1 – S5) Coccyx: 4 frequently fused vertebrae.

What is the common name for spine?

The vertebral column encloses the spinal cord and the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. Also called backbone, spinal column, and spine.

What part of the spine controls the legs?

lumbar spine
Lumbar region

Nerve roots coming from the spinal cord in the lumbar spine control the legs. The lumbar region is where the spinal cord ends (the spinal cord is shorter than the spine). After the lumbar spinal cord ends, it continues as a bundle of nerve roots in the lower back (the cauda equina).

What part of the spine controls mobility?

lumbar vertebrae
The lumbar vertebrae are the largest vertebrae of the spine and support the majority of the body’s weight. The lumbar spine allows for greater mobility than the thoracic spine but less mobility than the cervical spine. The lumbar facet joints provide significant mobility and extension but limit rotation.