Aside from the motor and sensory impairments as well as independent breathing difficulty (if higher level injury), numerous complications can arise after an individual sustains a SCI. Initially after injury, spinal shock occurs resulting in a phase of areflexia, a disruption of the autonomic nervous system causing irregularities in blood pressure and temperature control, and flaccidity. The initial phase may last approximately 24 to 48 hours with a gradual return of reflexes over time. Ultimate reflex return can range from one to six months.5,6 Autonomic dysreflexia (AD), also known as autonomic hyperreflexia, is a serious life-threatening condition occurring in individuals with injuries at T5 and above and is characterized by a sudden …show more content…
It usually appears after spinal shock has subsided and is part of an upper motor neuron (UMN) syndrome. Other symptoms related to spasticity are muscle spasms, an abnormal increase in muscle tone, overactive stretch reflex, and clonus. Multiple causes can contribute to an increase in spasticity including but not limited to: changes in positions, the temperature of the environment, tightness of clothing, urinary/digestive complications, emotional stress, pressure ulcers, or a quick passive stretch to the spastic muscle. The severity of spasticity varies, and SCIs who have been diagnosed with spasticity reports it as being problematic; however, if those with mild to moderate involvement are taught how to control the onset of spasticity or spasms at specific times, this could be used to the individual’s advantage in helping with functional tasks such as transfers. On the other hand, if the spasticity is severe it can cause major problems with functional tasks. Treatment of spasticity typically includes slow-controlled stretching exercises, modalities, and medications. Common medications are muscle relaxants and spasmolytic agents such as baclofen, diazepam, tizanidine, and dantrolene sodium. Botulinum neurotoxin (botox) may also be given intramuscularly to manage focal spasticity. Surgical intervention may be required if all other treatments have failed. Surgical procedures that may be …show more content…
Bowel dysfunction can interfere with their social involvement and a bowel program should be implemented to help the individual maintain a schedule. Establishment of a diet high in fiber with adequate fluid intake along with medications and manual stimulation will assist in promoting a proper bowel program. It is important for the therapy team to know the bladder and bowel schedule of the individual so that they will be able to construct therapy around these schedules, being sure not to
Hypokinetic Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder that is often associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It can occur when there is interference in the basal ganglia control circuit. These disruptions can include “degenerative, vascular, traumatic, infectious, inflammatory, neoplastic, and toxic-metabolic diseases (Duffy, 2013, p. 176).” Damage to the basal ganglia control circuit results in reduced range of motion as well as the inability to inhibit involuntary movements. Hypokinetic dysarthria is most commonly caused by PD; a progressive, neurogenic disease that is characterized by tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and incoordination. Eighty-seven percent of hypokinetic dysarthria cases are associated with degenerative disease (Duffy, 2013).
In the United States 54 million people have a disability and only 15 percent were born with a disability (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). If a person lives long enough, it is statistically likely that they will develop some kind of disability in their advancing years (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). At some point in your life you could have experience a fractured bone, a minor cut, or had some type of surgery. Imagine after some minor injury that you may not even remember and then experiencing a constant pain so agonizing that no amount of pain medication can make you comfortable (Lang & Moskovitz, 2003). Some additional symptoms that you may also experience are severe burning pain, changes in bone and skin, excessive sweating, tissue swelling and extreme sensitivity to touch (Juris, 2005). These symptoms are associated with a disease that is called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) but more recently termed as complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (CRPS 1) (Juris, 2005). For simplification purposes this disease will be referred to as RSD throughout this paper.
3. Childs NL, Mercer WN. Brief report: late improvement in consciousness after post-traumatic vegetative state. N Engl J Med 1996;334:24-25. (report of a 16 year old patient with PVS who recovered significantly after 17 months).
Peripheral neuropathy is a serious condition that can be fixed in multiple ways. If an individual is having trouble and experiencing more than one of the symptoms such as pain or muscle weakness, he or she should make a visit to see their doctor and discuss the possible reasoning behind it. A doctor knows best and can prescribe the necessary medications or treatments to help the patient feel better and hopefully stop the patient from having paralysis. There are ways to prevent this condition and they should be taken into consideration.
An article published in Lancet in 1989 by Bennet and Brinkman, reported the first use of FMT for treatment of Irritable Bowel Disorder. Bennet was diagnosed with UC himself and performed a trial of self-transplanted donor stool by retention enema. He would take the stool and reconstitute it with saline in order to be administered through an enema. Three months later colon biopsies showed improvement in inflammation and he remained symptom free for six months (Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology, 2015). There
A big part of Dysautonomia is knowing what it is, its symptoms, and causes. First, Dysautonomia is an umbrella term which describes multiple problems throughout the body. Such as dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system which controls functions of the body like the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, metabolic system, endocrine system. Those who get Dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems. Second, Dysautonomia can be life threatening and ranges from mild to disabling. Those who have Dysautonomia report increased symptoms after illness, trauma, or immunizations and children tend to struggle more than adults with basic functions of life. Dysautonomia tends to affect more females than males; it has a female to male ratio of 5-1. This disease is not very well known or heard about in society because it is such a rare disease (“What is Dysautonomia? What Causes Dysautonomia?”). Third, Dysautonomia can be diagnosed in different forms and with other diseases. Most people get diagnosed with another disease along with Dysautonomia. Some of these diseases or conditions that Dysautonomia is diagnosed with are Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. People can also be diagnosed in different forms such as; Neurally Mediated Syncope (chronic condition where blood pools and there is a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate), Pos...
Di Lorenzo C. Approach to the child with constipation and encopresis. In: Rudolph CD, Rudolph MR (eds). Rudolph’s Pediatrics. United States of America: McGraw-Hill; 2002:1368-1370. 2.
warm) in the left upper and lower extremities; decreased strength and movement of the right upper and lower extremities and of the left abdominal muscles; lack of triceps and biceps reflexes in the right upper extremity; atypical response of patellar, Achilles (hyper) reflexes in the right lower extremity; abnormal cremasteric reflex in the right groin; fracture in cervical vertebrae #7; and significant swelling in the C7-T12 region of the spinal canal (Signs and symptoms, n.d.). The objective complaint of a severe headache could also be consistent with a spinal cord injury (Headache, nausea, and vomiting,
Two treatment types are being studied for spinal cord injury: injection of an antagonist of the ATP-sensitive receptor P2X7 and transplantation of human embryonic stem cell derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. In the spinal cord, ATP can act as an excitatory neurotransmitter (Domercq et al,. 2009). ATP is released in excess for six hours after the initial damage. Most tissue damage happens after the main injury occurs, so finding a treatment that will slow the secondary injury down is a main interest for clinical treatment studies. Injecting a P2X7 antagonist that is sensitive to ATP into the region of the spinal cord that has been damaged has been found to slow down secondary injury (Peng et al., 2009). Also, demyelination of neurons can be found after spinal cord injury. Transplanting human embryonic stem cell derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells into the damaged tissue has shown to help with remyelinating the neurons. Th...
The teacher walked to the front of the room with her book in hand and as she got closer to the front, Paul got lower in his seat. He knew what was coming next; it was time for the class to read the next chapter. The teacher would start reading and then call on different students to read as they moved through the chapter. This scared Paul right down to his toes. He had read in front of the class before, but it was what followed after class that worried him the most. The taunts from the other students like “retard” or “are you stupid or what?” This type of relentless teasing would continue until gym class where he could hold his own ground again. He did not have any problems in gym; class he was good at sports and liked to play. The reason that Paul has so much trouble reading is because he has Dyslexia.
Striking to the sides of the thoracic vertebra within the very center of the Back cause’s paralyses and in some extreme cases may cause possible death.
There are three body structures affected in this form of ALD. The nervous system, adrenal glands, and testes are affected. The nervous system’s normal function is responsible for sending,
Elimination pattern varies among family members. No bowel or bladder problems. They all have regular bowel movements and voids frequently without complaints. The mother and daughter exercises at least three days per week. The father, who can be unbalanced at times, walks every day for one hour. If there is no one at home to accompany him, he will do so by himself and this has been going on for two years without a problem. While walking he stays in touch with family members every fifteen minutes. Due to his illness, he is unable to do other forms of exercises. He however enjoys going to the movies and shows with his wife and
The effects include paralysis of a limb or one side of the body and disturbances of speech and vision. The nature and extent of damage depends on the size and location of the affected blood vessels. The main causes are cerebral infarction (approx. 85%) and spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage (15%) (Waugh & Grant, 2010).
People across the United States, from small rural areas to enormous urban centers, from small town farmers, to big city nurses, exhibit signs of a Developmental Dyslexia. In fact, Herb Scribner (2014) identifies it as one of the most common disabilities that American children have, and due to this fact, most people have heard of and likely know someone who exhibits symptoms of this relatively common disability. Due to the number of those affected by this disability, it is certainly one that strikes close to the heart of Americans; so what exactly is it, and what can be done by family and specifically Occupational therapists (OTs) to reduce its debilitating effects and increase the success of these children and adults?