Term53

Injury

Spinal Cord Trauma

Vertebrae

Cauda Equina

Vertebra and Spinal Nerves

Alternative names
Spinal cord compression or injury; Compression of spinal cord

Definition Return to top

Spinal cord trauma is damage to the spinal cord that results from direct injury to the cord itself, or from indirect injury from damage to the bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels surrounding the spinal cord.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top

Spinal cord trauma can be caused by any number of injuries to the spine. They can result from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries (particularly diving into shallow water), industrial accidents, gunshot wounds, assault, and others.

Back Pain and Surgery

Q: Is surgery the best treatment for a bad back?
A: Bad backs are a frequent reason people opt for surgery, even though studies show that bulging discs usually shrink over time and that disc problems clear up in the vast majority of patients.

The most common back surgeries (laminectomy, spinal fusion, and discectomy) focus on structural repairs to discs or vertebrae. Any of these surgeries may be done alone or combined, depending on the patient. Laminectomy means a part of a spinal bone (vertebrae), called the lamina, is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Spinal fusion melds one vertebral bone (the spine comprises a series of vertebral bones) to another to secure an otherwise dysfunctional spine. A discectomy removes a disc because it has become ruptured or herniated.

Surgical Treatment of Trapezius Paralysis

Techniques in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery. 4(3):99-109, September 2003.
Lervick, Gregory N. MD; Bigliani, Louis U. MD
Abstract:
Summary: The trapezius is one of the major scapular-stabilizing muscles. It is composed of 3 functional components and contributes to coordinated scapulothoracic rhythm by elevating, rotating, and retracting the scapula. The muscle is primarily innervated by the spinal accessory nerve, or cranial nerve XI. The superficial course of the spinal accessory nerve in the posterior cervical triangle makes it susceptible to iatrogenic or penetrating trauma. Idiopathic and traction injuries are also seen.