Tetraplegia - Inability To Move The Upper And Lower Body Voluntarily
When the upper and lower bodies cannot be moved freely, the condition is referred to as tetraplegia (sometimes known as quadriplegia). The fingers, hands, arms, chest, legs, feet, and toes are often the regions of reduced mobility. However, the head, neck, and shoulders may or may not be included. Tetraplegia Spinal injuries are likely to result in neurological diseases.
Author:Dr. Bill ButcherOct 03, 202243.4K Shares1.2M Views
When the upper and lower bodies cannot be moved freely, the condition is referred to as tetraplegia(sometimes known as quadriplegia). The fingers, hands, arms, chest, legs, feet, and toes are often the regions of reduced mobility. However, the head, neck, and shoulders may or may not be included.
Tetraplegia Spinal injuries are likely to result in neurological diseases. Neurological exams should be done numerous times in asymptomatic individuals in whom no fractures are seen on CT scans to rule out any possible neurological damage.
An MRI should be requested in the emergency room even though it is not a commonly used diagnostic tool, especially in patients without obvious fractures on a CT scan but who have neurological symptoms.
Symptoms Of Tetraplegia
Tetraplegia can change over time and be unexpected. Age at an injury, general healthbefore the damage, Tetraplegia-related comorbidities, and the standard of treatment provided immediately following the accident can all have a significant impact on the outcome.
Several factors might cause the illness to deteriorate or improve, so the prognosis a doctor offers may need to be modified. In general, one or more of the following symptoms may be present in the tetraplegia listed below.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can be caused by a loss of muscle mass, an increase in muscle tone called spasticity, nerve damage from an injury that causes unpleasant sensory changes from inactivity, and changes in how the body perceives pain.
Loss Of Sensation
Loss of feeling below the injury's location. Some tetraplegia experience full and irreversible loss of feeling.
Others experience only diminished feelings, or the paraplegic or tetraplegia may occasionally experience certain sensations but not others. In particular, a pins and needles sensation is frequent.
Loss Of Movement
Being unable to move the limbs below the injury. Even though some mobility may come back, most Tetraplegia still has a lot of muscle weakness and can't move around very well.
How Is Tetraplegia Treated?
Depending on the underlying reason and the location of the issue in your spine, there might be a broad range of therapies for Tetraplegia. Quadriplegia survivors' chances of recovery might also differ.
When dealing with trauma, the aim is to minimize the harm and stop it from getting worse. This is often done by fixing the patient in place with backboards, collars, or braces so that their spinal cord stays stable and nothing rubs against it or hurts it.
- By taking the following steps, you can also avoid injuries and trauma to the spine:
- Early spinal cord surgery to reduce pressure.
- Early surgical stabilization or vertebral fusion is necessary to prevent spinal cord injury.
A healthcare professional is an ideal person to discuss the problem with because of these variables. They may be able to give you advice and important information about your specific cases, such as possible treatments and possible side effects or problems.
Quadriplegia | Tetraplegia | Quadriplegic | Tetraplegic | Quadriplegia Definition
People Also Ask
What Injury Causes Tetraplegia?
Tetraplegia is brought on by injury to the brain, spinal cord, or both.
Can You Recover From Tetraplegia?
Many people can overcome tetraplegia with partial spinal cord damage.
Can A Tetraplegia Move His Hands?
Any region of the body below the neck cannot be moved by a person who is completely tetraplegic.
Conclusion
Injuries to the spinal column's vertebrae, ligaments, discs, or the spinal cord itself can cause tetraplegia. A quick, severe impact on your spine that fractures dislocates, crushes, or compresses one or more of your vertebrae can result in a traumatic spinal cord injury.
It may also be the consequence of a gunshot wound or knife damage to the spinal cord. Because of bleeding, edema, inflammation, and fluid collection in and around your spinal cord, more damage often develops over days or weeks.
Arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections, or disk degeneration of the spine can all result in a non-traumatic spinal cord injury.
Dr. Bill Butcher
Author
With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Bill Butcher aims to provide a repository for educational materials, sources of information, details of forthcoming events, and original articles related to the medical field and about health subjects that matter to you. His goal is to help make your life better, to help you find your way when faced with healthcare decisions, and to help you feel better about your health and that of your family.
Bill received his medical degree at Boston University School of Medicine and spent his entire career helping people find the health and medical information, support, and services they need. His mission is to help millions of people feel fantastic by restoring them to optimal health.
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