Individuals who have sustained lesions on spine may face serious physiological impairment. The severity of the patient’s condition depends on the type of lesion and the location of the wound.
Lesions or wounds on the spinal cord occur when extreme pressure or disease affect the sensory nerves or the autonomic nerves. The nerves usually get inflamed as an automatic response to the assault on the nerves.
Spinal Cord Syndromes
There are five spinal cord syndromes resulting from spinal cord lesions. These are:
- Vascular myelopathy or acute myelopathy, which is caused by the tearing of arterial walls, affecting the spial arteries.
- Transverse myelitis. This is a rare condition that stems from diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), and Sjogren’s syndrome. These conditions are autoimmune disorders, in which the immune system is over reactive.
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This is a medical condition wherein the myelin sheath, a protective covering of the nerves, becomes damaged. As a result, lesions on spine MS occurs.
- Cervical spondylosis. Constant tearing of the vertebral discs in the neck area results to lesions on the spine.
- Tumor. Whether benign or malignant, spinal tumors pose great harm to the patients as they may burst within the spinal cord bones.
Symptoms Of Lesions On Spine
Patients who suffer from spinal lesions may manifest the following symptoms:
- Increasing numbness
- Severe back pain that may escalate to immobility
- Urinary incontinence
- Bowel dysfunction
- Pain along the spinal nerve
- Loss of muscle sensation
- Impairment in walking and talking
- Paralysis
- Stiff neck
- Lack of motor coordination
- Overactive Reflexes.
There are several treatments available for patients suffering from spinal cord lesions, depending upon the type of disorder and the severity of the illness. It helps to discover the lesion as early as possible, so that the wound in its initial stages may be treated accordingly.