Ch 32 Spinal Injury and Spine Motion Restriction

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the nervous and skeletal systems as they relate to spinal injury, mechanisms of injury, incomplete cord syndromes, and spinal motion restriction (SMR) techniques.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The part of the nervous system consisting of cranial nerves and spinal nerves.

Sympathetic Nervous System

A functional division of the autonomic nervous system that is described as 'arousing.'

Parasympathetic Nervous System

A functional division of the autonomic nervous system that is described as 'calming.'

Spinal Column

A skeletal structure consisting of $33$ vertebrae in five divisions, bound together by ligaments and separated by disks.

Motor Tracts

Nerve tissue in the spinal cord that carries impulses to the same side of the body.

Pain Tracts

Nerve tissue in the spinal cord that carries impulses from the opposite side of the body.

Light Touch Tracts

Nerve tissue in the spinal cord that carries impulses from the same side of the body.

Compression

A mechanism of spinal injury involving vertical pressure, often resulting in a compression fracture or compressed spinal cord.

Distraction Injury

A spinal injury mechanism occurring from a point of suspension combined with gravitational force, often seen in hangings.

Spinal Column Injury

Injury specifically to the vertebrae, such as fractures and dislocations, resulting in pain or tenderness.

Spinal Cord Injury

Damage to the nervous tissue within the spinal column, resulting in disruption of movement or sensation.

Complete Spinal Cord Injury

A transection of the spinal cord resulting in a total loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic function below the site of injury.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

An injury that does not involve all three tracts, where some but not all signs of spinal injury are present.

Brown-Sequard Syndrome

A condition characterized by the loss of pain, temperature, and light touch on the opposite side of the cord damage, and loss of motor function, vibration, position, and deep touch on the same side as the damage.

Spinal Shock

A temporary concussion-like insult to the spinal cord that causes effects below the level of the injury.

Priapism

A sign of possible spinal injury characterized by a persistent, involuntary erection.

Spinal Motion Restriction (SMR)

The management technique used for patients with suspected spinal injury to prevent further neurological damage; required for unreliable patients with a qualifying MOI.

K.E.D. (Kendrick Extrication Device)

The most common short spine motion restriction device used for seated patients.

Rapid Extrication

A procedure used to move a patient immediately when the scene is unsafe, the patient is unstable, or the patient blocks access to a more seriously injured person.

Kyphosis

A condition involving severe curvature of the spine, common in elderly patients, which may require specialized padding during SMR.