Which vertebrae paralyzes you

Vertebral Arch The vertebral arch is a bony curve that wraps around the spinal cord toward the back of the spine and consists of 2 pedicles and 2 laminae. Facet Joints Each vertebra has a pair of facet joints, also known as zygapophysial joints. Symptoms of a C3 Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms of a spinal cord injury corresponding to C3 vertebrae include: Limited range of motion Loss of diaphragm function Requirement of a ventilator for breathing Paralysis in arms, hands, torso, and legs Trouble controlling bladder and bowel function Symptoms of a C4 Spinal Cord Injury Patients with C4 spinal cord injuries typically need 24 hour-a-day support to breathe and maintain oxygen levels.

Symptoms of a spinal cord injury corresponding to C4 vertebrae include: Loss of diaphragm function Potential requirement of a ventilator for breathing Limited range of motion Paralysis in arms, hands, torso, and legs Trouble controlling bladder and bowel function Symptoms of a C5 Spinal Cord Injury Damage to the spinal cord at the C5 vertebra affects the vocal cords, biceps, and deltoid muscles in the upper arms.

Treatments for C3-C5 Spinal Cord Injuries Unfortunately, there is no treatment which will completely reverse the spinal cord damage from a cervical vertebrae injury at the C3 - C5 levels. Current treatments available for patients are: Fusing the spine and decompressing the nerves around the spinal cord are beneficial in recovery from a cervical spinal cord injury.

The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory NSAID drugs may help the patient regain some sensory and or motor function. Physical therapy is an important part of recovery to retain use of non-affected areas of the body as well as those directly affected by the damage done to the spinal cord.

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Spinal Cord, Inc. Ability to speak is sometimes impaired or reduced. When all four limbs are affected, this is called tetraplegia or quadriplegia. Requires complete assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, bathing, and getting in or out of bed May be able to use powered wheelchairs with special controls to move around on their own Will not be able to drive a car on their own Requires hour-a-day personal care Low-Cervical Nerves C5 — C8 Corresponding nerves control arms and hands.

A person with this level of injury may be able to breathe on their own and speak normally. C5 injury Person can raise his or her arms and bend elbows. Likely to have some or total paralysis of wrists, hands, trunk and legs Can speak and use diaphragm, but breathing will be weakened Will need assistance with most activities of daily living, but once in a power wheelchair, can move from one place to another independently C6 injury Nerves affect wrist extension.

In an L3 injury, messages are stopped at the lower back. This results in at least some paralysis of the legs and hips paraplegia. SCIs are also described as complete and incomplete, and an incomplete injury is further classified into four subsections. Complete: No feeling or movement of the areas of your body that are controlled by your lowest sacral nerves. This means you do not have feeling around the anus or control of the muscle that closes the anus.

People with complete SCI do not have control of bowel and bladder function. Incomplete: Feeling but no movement below the level of injury, including sacral segments that control bowel and bladder function. Incomplete: Feeling and movement below the level of injury. More than half of key muscles can move, but not against gravity. Moving against gravity means moving up, for example, raising your hand to your mouth when you are sitting up. More than half of key muscles can move against gravity.

Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.

Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Sometimes swelling causes symptoms that suggest an injury more severe than it is, but the symptoms usually lessen as the swelling subsides. Partial loss of muscle control results in muscle weakness.

Paralysis usually refers to complete loss. When muscles are paralyzed, they often go limp flaccid , losing their tone. Muscle reflexes that doctors check using a reflex hammer are weak or absent. But when the spinal cord is injured, paralysis may progress weeks later to involuntary, prolonged muscle spasms called spastic paralysis.

In this case, muscle reflexes are stronger than normal. For people who are weak or paralyzed, movement is limited or impossible.

Consequently, they are at risk of developing blood clots How Blood Clots Hemostasis is the body's way of stopping injured blood vessels from bleeding. Hemostasis includes clotting of the blood. Too little clotting can cause excessive bleeding from minor injury Too Pressure sores often result from pressure combined with pulling on the skin, friction, The tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body urethra contains no bacteria Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of death worldwide.

Often, pneumonia is the final People who have symptoms of spine injury such as significant pain in the bones of the neck or back and children who have even brief symptoms of possible nerve damage or pains that shoot down the arms or legs need to be evaluated in an emergency department.

X-rays Plain X-Rays X-rays are high-energy radiation waves that can penetrate most substances to varying degrees. In very low doses, x-rays are used to produce images that help doctors diagnose disease. In high X-rays can be done immediately, usually while the person is still in an emergency department. X-rays can show injuries of the bones in the spine but do not show injuries of the spinal cord. Computed tomography Computed Tomography CT In computed tomography CT , which used to be called computed axial tomography CAT , an x-ray source and x-ray detector rotate around a person.

In modern scanners, the x-ray detector usually CT is the most accurate test for injuries of the spine and can show most bony injuries. Magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI In magnetic resonance imaging MRI , a strong magnetic field and very high frequency radio waves are used to produce highly detailed images. MRI does not use x-rays and is usually very safe Although MRI is best suited for assessing the spinal cord and ligaments of the spine, occasionally MRI is not possible due to implanted devices such as pacemakers.

In these cases, CT myelography may be done. CT myelography is a CT scan done after doctors inject a radiopaque dye into the space around the spinal cord. CT myelography can show displaced structures that impinge on the spinal cord. Recovery is more likely if paralysis is partial and if movement or sensation starts to return during the first week after the injury.

If function is not regained within 6 months, loss is likely to be permanent. However, several studies have shown that recovery is possible up to one year after injury.