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BACK on TRACK<br />
A basic<br />
introduction<br />
for those learning<br />
to live with a<br />
spinal cord<br />
injury<br />
Julian Verkaaik<br />
B Design (Industrial)
When you first have a spinal cord injury or impairment<br />
so much of what you have to learn seems like it has come<br />
straight from a medical or a nursing textbook.<br />
Even though most of us aren’t doctors or nurses we ARE<br />
experts about ourselves so what we need is just enough<br />
information for us to start asking questions of the doctors,<br />
nurses and other health professionals who<br />
WORK FOR US!<br />
“Back on Track” is NOT the whole answer. It is a basic<br />
introduction to help you start the question-asking process.<br />
People who ask questions are the ones who recover or<br />
rehabilitate the quickest and who succeed the best.<br />
So read this book and start asking lots and lots of questions!<br />
Ben Lucas<br />
Garry Chief Executive Wilson<br />
Chief New Zealand Executive Spinal Trust<br />
ACC<br />
Disclaimer: This publication has been produced with the full medical support of the<br />
Burwood Spinal Unit. It is intended as a guide only and should not be used to replace<br />
the medical opinions of your health professionals. Medical knowledge is constantly<br />
evolving and preferred rehabilitation techniques may differ from region to region.<br />
Readers are strongly advised to confi m that information in this publication conforms<br />
to current standards of practice endorsed by your spinal unit.<br />
Published and Distributed by:<br />
The New Zealand Spinal Trust<br />
Allan Bean Centre, Burwood Hospital, Entrance 3, Mairehau Road,<br />
Private Bag 4708,<br />
Christchurch 8140,<br />
New Zealand<br />
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, stored or transmitted<br />
by any mechanical, photographic or electronic processes or techniques, for public or private<br />
use, without the express written permission of the publisher.<br />
© First edition New Zealand Spinal Trust, December 2004<br />
© Second edition New Zealand Spinal Trust, August 2009<br />
© Third edition New Zealand Spinal Trust, September 2014<br />
To learn more about the New Zealand Spinal Trust go to:<br />
www.nzspinaltrust.org.nz<br />
Third edition printed September 2014 by THE CAXTON PRESS.<br />
ISBN 978-0-473-29020-7<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014
Your rehab will not stop when you leave<br />
the hospital and go home which is why you<br />
must learn to take control.<br />
Edited & Illustrated by<br />
Julian Verkaaik B Des<br />
Back on Track provides basic information<br />
which will help you take the bull by the<br />
horns and take control of your future. A<br />
spinal cord injury is not the end of the road.<br />
It may mean hanging up your boots for good<br />
and getting a new set of wheels but there is<br />
no reason to sit on the roadside and watch<br />
life pass you by.<br />
This handbook is designed to help you do<br />
just that - to help you get back into the real<br />
world with a good base of knowledge that<br />
will help keep you out of hospital later. It<br />
is written in everyday language that will<br />
compliment the information you will be<br />
getting from your medical teams. The issues<br />
that surround spinal cord impairment are<br />
complicated but they can be understood<br />
by anyone – it may take a bit of time but it<br />
is worth it.<br />
When you’ve fallen from grace and landed<br />
in a spinal unit you need to begin learning,<br />
right from day one. Rehabilitation is not a<br />
medical process but a process of learning.<br />
You are the most important stakeholder in<br />
the outcome of your rehabilitation. Not the<br />
doctors. Not the Hospital. You.<br />
Nobody else can rehabilitate you<br />
- you must do this for yourself.<br />
In the early days of your recovery there will<br />
be an enormous amount of medical activity<br />
happening around you that you will not<br />
have much control over. This will soon pass<br />
and you will become much more involved<br />
in the process of your rehabilitation.<br />
All you need to do is take life one<br />
day at a time and try to learn one<br />
new thing every day.<br />
Having a spinal cord impairment will not<br />
stop you from having a happy and fulfillin<br />
life. Yes, things have changed and life will<br />
never be quite the same but change is the<br />
only constant we have in life. Don’t fight it,<br />
embrace it and work it to your advantage.<br />
Above all else, keep believing<br />
in yourself!!<br />
Julian Verkaaik<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
4
Acknowledgements<br />
This third edition of Back on Track is dedicated to Richard Smaill,<br />
Chair of the New Zealand Spinal Trust for his enthusiasm,<br />
support and contribution to the work of the NZST.<br />
The editor wishes to acknowledge the tireless efforts of all the<br />
staff and patients of the Burwood Spinal Unit who contributed<br />
to this publication, especially Mr Allan Bean, Dr Angelo<br />
Anthony and Dr Rick Acland. Significant contributions were<br />
made by the following staff; Karen Wilson, Karen Marshall,<br />
Val Sandston, Andrew Hall, Angela Todd, Mark Julian, Barrie<br />
Woods, Denise Brown, Victoria Newcombe, Liz Beaglehole,<br />
David Tieleman, Mike Moss and Ted Templeton. Without their<br />
willingness to share their wealth of knowledge and experience<br />
this publication would not have been possible.<br />
The editor also thanks the late Prof Alan Clarke, Margot<br />
Anderson and the staff of the New Zealand Spinal Trust for<br />
all their support and encouragement, especially Paul Stafford<br />
for his amazing energy with the final layout and design of this<br />
book that brought this project to completion.<br />
The ‘Successful Graduates’ of spinal cord rehabilitation who<br />
contributed the anecdotes and photos that enliven this book<br />
deserve special note. Thank you to Stephen Hannen, Roman<br />
Tua, Daniel Buckingham, Sue Quirk, Keith Jarvie, Robin Paul,<br />
Tim Johnson, Peter O’Flaherty, Sharon Devonshire, James Doak,<br />
Bill Gruar, Ian Popay, Wayne Chapman, Lea Galvin, Roy Dale,<br />
Peter Lush, Warren Bennett, Debbie Henderson, Christine Lawn,<br />
Karen Calder, Dean Hatchard, Rick Fright and Derek Wight.<br />
For the third revised edition, the editorial team wish to thank the<br />
following Burwood Spinal Unit staff for their review of the book<br />
chapters; Rina Pijpker, Maria van den Heuvel, Dr. Lincoln Jansz,<br />
Angela Todd, Kirstie Ross, Lynn Stephen, Kristal Duff as well<br />
as staff of the New Zealand Spinal Trust; Ben Lucas, Bernadette<br />
Cassidy, Paul Stafford, Jharna Das Gupta, and Hans Wouters<br />
The New Zealand Spinal Trust thanks the Ministry of Health<br />
for supporting this publication. The Ministry of Health has<br />
generously supported the New Zealand Spinal Trust design<br />
service over the past years to create high quality educational<br />
publications enhancing the quality of rehabilitation.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
5
"What's all this Rehab about anyway?"<br />
By the late Prof. Alan Clarke CMG ChM FRACS<br />
1932 – 2007<br />
The late Prof Clarke<br />
was the Dean of the<br />
Otago University<br />
School of Medicine<br />
when he fell off his<br />
roof. After a long<br />
career as a medical<br />
researcher his rehab<br />
experience taught him<br />
an important lesson –<br />
that rehabilitation is<br />
not a medical process,<br />
it is a learning one.<br />
His advice from his<br />
unique perspective as a<br />
doctor-become-patient<br />
is well worth listening<br />
to.<br />
“When you survive an accident or<br />
an illness, you step immediately<br />
onto a pathway to recovery.”<br />
Getting Started<br />
For you, the person with a spinal cord injury,<br />
and for your family, whanau and friends, the<br />
first part of this pathway goes through a spinal<br />
injuries unit. What happens to you in a spinal<br />
injuries unit is very special. It will enrich<br />
your new beginning and help you achieve<br />
independence and happiness. The good news at<br />
the beginning is that you could have been much<br />
worse off, and things can only get better. However<br />
nobody can predict just how much recovery you<br />
will get or how much impairment and disability<br />
will remain.<br />
The first few days following your accident are<br />
confusing. So much will be happening to you<br />
that you will feel that you have little control. If<br />
you have significant spinal cord injuries with<br />
either tetraplegia or paraplegia you will feel<br />
particularly helpless, unable to move much at<br />
all and very dependent on the people who are<br />
caring for you. It is normal for you to feel afraid<br />
and angry, insecure and powerless. You may<br />
be too numbed by it all to cry but it would not<br />
do you any harm if you did cry. You may be<br />
angry with yourself or with others that this has<br />
happened to you, but at this stage you are not<br />
likely to feel sorry for yourself. More likely you<br />
will get annoyed by other people who seem to<br />
feel sorry for you. For the first week or two in<br />
the spinal unit it helps if you can be accepting<br />
and “go with the flow”, and simply be assured<br />
that whatever happens, there is a really good<br />
life ahead for you.<br />
“This may take a lot of believing,<br />
but it is true!”<br />
If you are a member of the family you will<br />
experience feelings of loss and bewilderment<br />
which are similar to those experienced by the<br />
patient. These feelings are not helped if you are<br />
away from your home and from other family<br />
members, from your friends and from normal<br />
life routines. Things are just about as unfamiliar<br />
for families supporting patients in spinal units<br />
as they are for the patients themselves, even<br />
if families have had a lot to do with hospitals<br />
before. Like patients, families are enormously<br />
in need of information and support. It is OK for<br />
you as a member of the family to suffer grief,<br />
it is OK to cry and it is quite usual for you also<br />
to feel that you are not in control. You may<br />
have feelings that your partner or loved one<br />
has become public property, that there is little<br />
privacy, and that your feelings have become<br />
terribly exposed. However you may also find<br />
that these events bring members of your family<br />
and your friends closer together.<br />
A new “acute admission” to the spinal unit<br />
creates a great deal of work and makes staff<br />
busier. Members of staff are all human and share<br />
your feelings of anxiety, apprehension, sadness<br />
and grief. However nurses, physiotherapists and<br />
other health professionals who directly care for<br />
you need to be careful that they do not identify<br />
too closely with your feelings. They must remain<br />
objective. As a member of the family you may<br />
feel that this professional objectivity is callous.<br />
“Clinical detachment” as it has sometimes been<br />
called is a very important acquired skill of health<br />
professionals. Getting too close to their patient<br />
can cloud their judgement. This is why doctors<br />
should never look after their own loved ones.<br />
No matter how busy your carers are, they are<br />
always accessible and within reason should<br />
always be willing to answer questions. Good<br />
information on the first and second days is gold<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
6
for you and for your family and whanau. It is<br />
essential for planning your recovery. There is so<br />
much information that you need it to be readily<br />
available to go back to again and again.<br />
Pathway Planning<br />
The quickest way for you to gain control and<br />
rediscover hope is to start planning your<br />
pathway to recovery with the help of your<br />
family, whanau and friends - on the very first<br />
day if possible! In the fir t few days a real<br />
problem for your planning is uncertainty. This<br />
is particularly so with neck injuries, with both<br />
partial and apparently complete tetraplegia. In<br />
a very few cases the doctors may be able to say<br />
with some degree of certainty that recovery is<br />
unlikely to occur to a significant extent but in<br />
most cases they will say that it is not possible<br />
to predict outcome at an early stage and that<br />
things will not become clear for you for several<br />
weeks.<br />
“All survivors of spinal injuries can<br />
achieve independence & happiness - it<br />
just takes a little time.”<br />
In most things you are the person you were before<br />
the accident. However right now you definitel<br />
are the team leader both in the rehabilitation<br />
process and of the health professionals who<br />
work in the spinal unit and who manage the<br />
process for you. All members of the team have<br />
a responsibility to help you achieve the goals<br />
that you have made for yourself. The spinal<br />
unit staff when they work with you will depend<br />
very much on your willingness to lead them.<br />
You must retain a belief in yourself. The first<br />
part of your plan is your discharge plan. This<br />
belongs to you, not the staff, and it assumes that<br />
you are anxious to get out of hospital as soon<br />
as possible.<br />
If at any time you feel that there are undue<br />
and perhaps unnecessary delays with your<br />
rehabilitation, you should ask why. If your<br />
rehabilitation is managed well, your goal<br />
or target date for discharge may be brought<br />
forward. If it is not managed so well, discharge<br />
may be delayed. It will take some days for you<br />
to see clearly your way ahead. As a general rule,<br />
complete paraplegics will be in the unit for eight<br />
to fourteen weeks while complete tetraplegics<br />
will be in the unit from twelve to twenty weeks.<br />
Staff will all know the major milestones and will<br />
help you in a general discussion. However<br />
the planning process is quite specific for each<br />
person as every individual and every injury is<br />
different<br />
You can't help being interested in how other<br />
patients are getting on and that is OK but you<br />
must pace yourself against your own goals and<br />
measure your success by your own progress<br />
towards these goals. If you are a person who<br />
has not been accustomed to setting goals and<br />
planning your life and have up till now rather<br />
just let things happen, this will be a time of<br />
great opportunity for you but it will not be<br />
easy. There are people in the Unit who can<br />
help you with this. Some real “successes” are<br />
people whose accidents have occurred during a<br />
time of personal turmoil, and the tasks of settin<br />
goals and planning recovery has led them into<br />
totally new and exciting lives.<br />
Some people are so devastated by the injury that<br />
has happened to them that they are not able in<br />
the first few days and weeks to take charge of<br />
their discharge planning. It is more difficul for<br />
them if their family is also overwhelmed by the<br />
events. If you and your family feel like this,<br />
unable to cope, there will be staff members in<br />
your spinal unit who are able to help you with<br />
your planning. Talking about these feelings can<br />
help you and there will be someone amongst<br />
the team of therapists who will listen carefully<br />
to you. Social workers, clinical psychologists<br />
and psychiatrists have special training to help<br />
you get back into the “driving seat” of your own<br />
rehabilitation plan.<br />
“Rehabilitation or getting back<br />
on track depends almost<br />
entirely on you.”<br />
It is important that you learn all about your<br />
injury, its consequences, and about both your<br />
medical and general needs. Soon you should<br />
know more about your case than any of your<br />
doctors, nurses or other health professionals.<br />
They rely on your knowledge for you to keep<br />
yourself safe. Before you realise it, you will be<br />
able to look after yourself safely in the big wide<br />
world, and you will be home.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
7
Contents<br />
Intro<br />
Spinal 101<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
Authors Note 4<br />
Acknowledgements 5<br />
Foreword "What’s all this Rehab about anyway?"<br />
Getting Started<br />
Pathway Planning 7<br />
Contents 8-14<br />
A word about medical terms... 16<br />
Spinal Cord Impairment 7<br />
Immediate Treatments 7<br />
Surgery 7<br />
Stabilising 17<br />
Immediate Effects of Injury 18<br />
Get to Know Your Spine! 19<br />
Your Spinal Column 20<br />
Your Spinal Cord & Nerves 21<br />
Peripheral Nerves & Functions 22<br />
Your Nervous System 23<br />
The Somatic Nervous System 3<br />
The Autonomic Nervous System 23<br />
Your Spinal Cord 24<br />
Messages & Signals 25<br />
Sensory Messages 5<br />
Motor Messages 5<br />
Reflex Messages 25<br />
What is Spinal Cord Impairment? 26<br />
What happens to my Nervous System? 27<br />
Spinal Shock, Reflexes & Spasm 28<br />
Spinal Shock 8<br />
Reflexes & Spasm 28<br />
Your Bowel 9<br />
Reflex Bowel 29<br />
Flaccid Bowel 9<br />
Your Bladder 29<br />
Skin & Sensation 30<br />
Hope of Recovery & Cure 1<br />
Recovery 31<br />
Cure 31<br />
Descriptions 2<br />
Lesion 2<br />
Level of Injury 2<br />
Complete 2<br />
Incomplete 2<br />
Central Cord Syndrome 2<br />
Anterior Cord Syndrome 2<br />
Posterior Cord Syndrome 32<br />
Brown-Sequard Syndrome 33<br />
8
Contents<br />
Cauda Equina Lesion 33<br />
Paralysis 33<br />
Paraplegia 33<br />
Tetraplegia / Quadriplegia 33<br />
Neurology 33<br />
Common Terms 34-36<br />
Bladder<br />
B owel<br />
Skin<br />
Nutrition<br />
Medical<br />
Life<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
9
A word about<br />
medical terms…<br />
The science of medicine has developed<br />
over many centuries. Many of the terms<br />
and references are based on the Latin<br />
language. The medical language is<br />
designed to be precise and distinctive to<br />
avoid confusion for those who practice<br />
medicine as a profession.<br />
Some of the terms can appear very<br />
impersonal, harsh or even negative.<br />
Disabled, non-functional, incomplete, flaccid,<br />
impairment etc, all of these are terms used to<br />
describe various aspects of your injury.<br />
REMEMBER: You are a person who<br />
happens to have an injury - you are not<br />
"the tetraplegic in Room 5."<br />
If you do not understand any of the medical<br />
jargon do not hesitate to ask the person(s)<br />
to explain those words or terms.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
16
Spinal Cord Impairment<br />
You have had an accident or illness that<br />
has resulted in a spinal cord injury or<br />
impairment (SCI). This chapter will begin<br />
to explain how your body works and how<br />
your impairment is affecting the way it<br />
functions. It is only an introduction to<br />
the range of effects your SCI may have on<br />
you. Spinal cord impairments are different<br />
from individual to individual. You may<br />
experience only a few of the effects or the<br />
full range. This book will get you started,<br />
make you hungry for more information, and<br />
raise more questions for you to ask. Talk to<br />
your medical professionals about what may<br />
be relevant for you.<br />
Stabilising<br />
Depending on the nature of your injury the<br />
position of your spine may need to be held<br />
still for some time. If your injury is to your<br />
neck, you may be on bed in traction, that is,<br />
with a small weight atta hed to head tongs.<br />
This helps to keep your bones in proper<br />
alignment while they heal. You would<br />
normally be in traction for six weeks.<br />
Immediate Treatments<br />
Surgery<br />
You may need surgery to stabilise the<br />
damaged bones of your spine. The bones<br />
may not be stable, there may be a noticeable<br />
deformity, or a bone fragment may be<br />
pushing onto the spinal cord. Often metal<br />
plates and screws are used to stabilise the<br />
spine and avoid further damage to the cord.<br />
Please bear in mind that stabilising surgery<br />
will only repair the bones of the spine.<br />
Other neck injuries may need a Halo ring and<br />
jacket, or a hard collar to keep the neck still.<br />
“Once you’ve got to [the unit] listen<br />
to all advice, staff [are] excellent<br />
(indeed marvellous) but very busy.<br />
Be persistent (but polite!) with your<br />
requests. Staff are very pressured,<br />
sometimes answers take a little time.<br />
Save your energy for the big issues.”<br />
Roy Dale L4/5<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
17
Immediate Effects of Injury<br />
• In the paralysed parts of your body<br />
you cannot feel pressure, and you<br />
cannot move your limbs to relieve<br />
pressure. Your body will have to be<br />
moved or turned every two or three<br />
hours to relieve pressure and prevent<br />
pressure sores from developing.<br />
• You won’t be able to feel when your<br />
bladder is full and you won’t be able<br />
to empty it. Your doctor or nurse will<br />
have to manage it for you until you<br />
learn to do this for yourself.<br />
• You will also need help at first to<br />
empty your bowels.<br />
• As you will not be able to move<br />
paralysed parts of your body, a<br />
physiotherapist will move them for<br />
you to prevent them from becoming<br />
stiff or deformed<br />
• You may also experience spasm -<br />
involuntary movement and twitching<br />
of the paralysed limb.<br />
• Woman may find that their periods<br />
stop for a time, but they will return<br />
sooner or later in the normal way.<br />
• Men may find that they cannot get an<br />
erection, or cannot control it. Most<br />
people with a SCI will be able to enjoy<br />
sexual activity.<br />
• If you are tetraplegic, your body’s<br />
system for regulating temperature may<br />
be disrupted. Your temperature may<br />
be much below normal, and you may<br />
feel shivery or hot, be unable to sweat<br />
or find yourself s eating profusely.<br />
• You won’t be able to sit up unaided,<br />
and to begin with you will be raised<br />
only very gradually and for short<br />
periods. If you are raised too quickly,<br />
especially if yours is a high injury, you<br />
may faint.<br />
• You may suffer from unusually low<br />
blood pressure in the early weeks.<br />
After a month or so, those with a high<br />
level of injury may have attacks of high<br />
blood pressure.<br />
• You may find when you do sit up that<br />
you cannot balance without support.<br />
With your limited movement and<br />
sensation you have to learn all over<br />
again to balance your body.<br />
• You may feel very depressed, and<br />
perhaps angry and guilty. This is<br />
a perfectly natural reaction to your<br />
injury, the shock to your body, the<br />
indignity of having everything done<br />
for you, your uncertainty about the<br />
future and your concern for family and<br />
friends.<br />
• For some weeks you won’t be able to<br />
go home, work, study, make love, look<br />
after children, care for older relatives,<br />
cook meals or play sport. Later, with<br />
some preparation, you will be able to<br />
do most of the things you probably<br />
took for granted in your daily life<br />
before your injury. After a while, you<br />
will be able to do all or most of these<br />
things. Although it will certainly be<br />
more difficul to do them than it was<br />
before your injury, you may find them<br />
just as rewarding, perhaps even more<br />
so.<br />
• Some paraplegics have been able to<br />
go home in 8 - 12 weeks and some<br />
tetraplegics as soon as they become<br />
independent. Most people take longer<br />
and you may not be independent for<br />
6 - 12 months.<br />
Material adapted from Moving Forward: The Guide to<br />
Living with Spinal Cord Injury. Spinal Injury Association<br />
(SIA), United Kingdom, May 1995.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
18
Get to Know Your Spine!<br />
The spine is a column of bones, ligaments and<br />
nerves and performs two critical tasks. It is<br />
a physical structure that links most parts of<br />
your body together, and it houses the spinal<br />
cord that connects your brain to every part<br />
of your body.<br />
The spinal column begins in the neck and<br />
ends at the tailbone. The spine is a column<br />
of 33 bones called vertebrae. Individually<br />
each bone is called a vertebra.<br />
The vertebrae are stacked one on top of<br />
the other and are held together by discs,<br />
ligaments and muscles. Ligaments keep<br />
the spine stable and the muscles provide a<br />
limited degree of movement.<br />
The springy discs between each vertebra<br />
keep the bones from rubbing together and<br />
serve as shock absorbers for the spinal<br />
column.<br />
The spinal column is divided into 4 sections.<br />
Each section is given a name and each<br />
vertebra is numbered.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
19
Your Spinal Column<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
20
Your Spinal Cord & Nerves<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
21
Peripheral Nerves & Functions<br />
At every vertebra in the<br />
spine, nerves branch out in<br />
pairs. In the neck there are<br />
more nerve pairs (8) than<br />
there are vertebrae (7).<br />
In the centre of each<br />
vertebra is a hole and<br />
when the vertebrae are<br />
stacked together they<br />
form a tunnel called the<br />
vertebral canal. This canal<br />
completely surrounds and<br />
protects the spinal cord.<br />
Pairs of peripheral nerves<br />
extend out from the<br />
spinal cord through gaps<br />
between each vertebrae.<br />
Each pair of peripheral<br />
nerves links the brain with<br />
various parts of the body.<br />
The diagram to the right<br />
gives an indication of what<br />
areas of the body each<br />
pair of nerves connect to.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
22
Your Nervous System<br />
Your nervous system is made up of your<br />
brain, spinal cord and the nerves branching<br />
off it. Your brain controls every function that<br />
your body performs.<br />
The brain controls some of your functions<br />
automatically, i.e. your heartbeat and<br />
breathing, without you even being aware<br />
of it. Other functions are controlled more<br />
directly and require a conscious thought to<br />
begin, e.g. to pick up an object.<br />
Your nervous system helps to control all of<br />
your body’s functions and can be roughly<br />
divided into two parts. Your brain and<br />
spinal cord together form the central nervous<br />
system. The peripheral nervous system links<br />
your central nervous system to the rest of<br />
your body.<br />
The nervous system can also be divided<br />
by its functional organisation into two<br />
categories, the somatic nervous system and<br />
the autonomic nervous system.<br />
The Somatic Nervous System<br />
The somatic nervous system is your body’s<br />
primary means of communication between<br />
the brain and its moving parts. Its main<br />
function is to transmit sensations to the<br />
brain and, after this information has been<br />
processed and a response decided on, to<br />
control deliberate movements.<br />
Some of the things the somatic nervous<br />
system monitors or controls are:<br />
• Movement<br />
• Sensation<br />
• Reflexe<br />
The Autonomic Nervous System<br />
The autonomic nervous system controls the<br />
background or involuntary functions of your<br />
internal glands and organs. If you have<br />
damaged your spinal cord you probably<br />
have also damaged your autonomic system.<br />
Your level of injury dictates the extent of<br />
the damage.<br />
Some of the things the autonomic nervous<br />
system monitors or controls are:<br />
• Heart rate and blood pressure<br />
• Breathing<br />
• Body temperature<br />
• Sweating<br />
• Shivering<br />
• Digestion<br />
• Bowel & Bladder functions<br />
• Male sexual function<br />
“I was injured in the Cave Creek Tragedy<br />
of 1995. A viewing platform collapsed<br />
and tipped 18 people 35 metres into a<br />
chasm onto the jagged rocks below. I<br />
was one of only four survivors and was<br />
given only a 10% chance of surviving. I<br />
don’t remember anything of the accident<br />
thankfully or the first six weeks of the nine<br />
weeks that I spent in Intensive Care. On<br />
top of my incomplete C6/7 Tetraplegia I<br />
broke 16 bones including my jaw in three<br />
places, ruptured my bowel, had 80 stitches<br />
across the top of my head with minor head<br />
injuries (very minor!!). I then spent the<br />
next 12 months in the Burwood Spinal<br />
attempting to rehab…but rehab didn’t<br />
really start until I was back out in the<br />
real world! “<br />
Stephen Hannen C6/7<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
23
Your Spinal Cord<br />
Your Spinal Cord is a very<br />
complex 2 way communication<br />
network that allows your brain<br />
to ‘talk’ to specific parts of your<br />
body, and for those parts to<br />
send messages back. The cord is<br />
similar to a telephone cable with<br />
many wires.Your spinal cord is<br />
approximately the diameter of<br />
your little finger and runs from<br />
your brain down the inside of<br />
your spinal column and ends at<br />
the base of L1 - the 1st Lumbar<br />
vertebra. At this point the spinal<br />
cord branches out into a bundle<br />
of nerves called the cauda equina<br />
as it looks like a horse’s tail.<br />
The cord has three protective<br />
layers around it. The outside<br />
dura mater (durable matter)<br />
is very, very tough. The arachnoid mater<br />
(spidersweb matter) is a tightly packed layer<br />
that looks like a woven spidersweb. The pia<br />
mater is very thin but keeps a watertight seal<br />
that holds in your ‘brain fluid’. The fluid<br />
is called cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) and this<br />
cushions and protects the brain and cord<br />
from shock and damage.<br />
The cord itself has a butterfl shape with 2<br />
distinct areas within it, grey matter and white<br />
matter. The main function of your spinal<br />
cord is to relay messages from the body to<br />
your brain, and from your brain to your<br />
body. These messages travel along tracts<br />
in the white matter. Much like escalators,<br />
the tracts have a dedicated direction<br />
of travel. Some tracts are dedicated to<br />
carrying messages to the brain and some<br />
are dedicated to carrying messages from the<br />
brain. The three different types of messages<br />
that travel along your spinal cord are:<br />
1. Feelings: called sensory<br />
2. Movement: called motor<br />
3. Protection: called reflexes<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
24
Messages & Signals<br />
Sensory Messages<br />
Sensory messages are sent from parts of your<br />
body, i.e. your hand, to your spinal cord.<br />
The spinal cord then relays the message to<br />
the brain. When the message reaches your<br />
brain it is interpreted as a feeling such as<br />
touch, pressure, pain or temperature (hot<br />
or cold). There is another vital sensation<br />
that you may never have been aware of. It<br />
is called proprioception and it subconsciously<br />
keeps track of what position your limbs and<br />
joints are in. Proprioception messages give<br />
the brain information about body position to<br />
help the brain coordinate precise movements<br />
almost unconsciously i.e. that it is time to<br />
move your hand to another position.<br />
1. Pain message sent off<br />
from foot<br />
2. Reflex reactio<br />
bounces off spin<br />
3. Brain checks to see if<br />
danger is cleared and<br />
then limits movement<br />
Motor Messages<br />
Motor messages begin in your brain and<br />
travel down your spinal cord. Spinal nerves<br />
direct these messages to the appropriate<br />
parts of your body. These signals control<br />
most of the muscles in your body.<br />
Reflex Messages<br />
Your body has an amazing defence<br />
mechanism built into it. Not all messages<br />
sent from parts of your body go all the way<br />
to the brain. The spinal cord has the ability<br />
to make some decisions on its own.<br />
For example, if you stepped on a sharp tack,<br />
your skin sends a sensory message to the<br />
spinal cord. If the message is identified as a<br />
‘panic’ signal then the spinal cord will send<br />
a reflex signal to the muscle group where<br />
the message originated. Your foot will jerk<br />
away from the source of pain immediately<br />
without you having to think about it i.e. it<br />
happens automatically.<br />
The original message will still get to the<br />
brain and your brain will limit the reflex<br />
reaction.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
25
What is Spinal Cord Impairment?<br />
Spinal cord impairment occurs when<br />
any damage to the spinal cord blocks<br />
communication between your brain and<br />
your body. An injury to the spinal cord, be<br />
it a break, tear, rip or crush that is caused by<br />
physical force is called a traumatic lesion.<br />
This may have resulted from one of the four<br />
common breaks or fractures illustrated on<br />
the facing pages. A spinal cord can also be<br />
damaged through disease such as multiple<br />
sclerosis or from a malignant growth on the<br />
spine.<br />
Your spinal cord injury is related to the nerves<br />
that are damaged but can also be referred to as<br />
your level of bony injury. It is more accurate<br />
however to refer to the actual area of the<br />
spinal cord that is damaged relative to the<br />
vertebra. It is for this reason that your level<br />
of injury may be referred to by two or more<br />
vertebrae ie. C5/C6 Tetraplegia.<br />
“My level of spinal injury,<br />
impairment or lesion is<br />
_________”<br />
“The last thing I remember is getting<br />
back onto the 4-wheeler to turn it round.<br />
We had stopped to admire the view from<br />
the highest point on the Wanganui farm.<br />
It was a hot, sunny February day, and<br />
I didn’t notice, or couldn’t see, the red<br />
light that indicated that I had left the bike<br />
parked in ‘Reverse’. I don’t remember,<br />
but was told later that the bike had set<br />
off backwards and went over a very<br />
steep bluff. Afterwards I was apparently<br />
conscious, but remember nothing except<br />
for some weird dream-like memories<br />
until, two weeks later, I found myself flat<br />
on my back in a little air ambulance.”<br />
Ian Popay T5<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
26
What happens to my Nervous System?<br />
Motor messages are unable to get past the<br />
damaged area so your brain cannot control<br />
muscles below the level of your impairment.<br />
Likewise, sensory messages from below<br />
the damaged area are unable to reach the<br />
brain and you may not be able to sense<br />
heat and cold, pain or pressure. Ask your<br />
spinal specialist to show you which areas of<br />
your spinal cord have been affected on the<br />
drawing below.<br />
Reflex messages may still be able to loop<br />
or ‘rebound’ from the spinal cord, but your<br />
brain will no longer be able to dampen refle<br />
movements which may result in muscle<br />
spasm. It is important to remember that<br />
motor, sensory and reflex messages never<br />
stop being sent between your brain and your<br />
body, they simply cannot get past the level<br />
of your injury.<br />
Spinal cord impairment does not prevent<br />
the muscles and organs below the level of<br />
injury from receiving blood and nutrients.<br />
You may experience changes in breathing,<br />
temperature control, heart rate and blood<br />
pressure after your injury. You will most<br />
likely have changes to your bowel, bladder<br />
and sexual function. Not knowing how<br />
your injury will affect your sex life, or your<br />
ability to have children, can be a worrying<br />
factor for a new patient.<br />
See the Life chapter for more<br />
information on this area.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
27
Spinal Shock, Reflexes & Spasm<br />
Spinal Shock<br />
Immediately following an injury the spinal<br />
cord can go into shock. During this time<br />
reflexes, movement and feeling may be<br />
absent below the level of your injury. Spinal<br />
shock can last for hours for some to months<br />
for others. Spinal shock is why we cannot<br />
determine the exact loss of function in the<br />
early stages. You may experience some<br />
return of lost movement or feeling over the<br />
next few weeks but the results are always<br />
different from individual to individual. Any<br />
return of reflex activity below the level of<br />
your injury indicates that you are coming<br />
out of spinal shock.<br />
area away from the source of discomfort<br />
or pain. Your brain controls the protective<br />
reflex by limiting the reflex action to a<br />
single controlled movement. If your injury<br />
is T12 or above, your protective reflexes are<br />
probably still intact and working. Messages<br />
still bounce off the spinal cord to muscles<br />
but your brain cannot limit or control the<br />
movement. It is this situation that is called<br />
spasm. If your spinal injury is at T12 or<br />
below you probably will not have spasm.<br />
You might not think that “spasm” can be<br />
anything positive but, believe it or not,<br />
spasm can be very useful for people with a<br />
spinal cord impairment. Spasm alerts you<br />
to the fact that something is wrong. Over<br />
time you may learn to interpret different<br />
spasms as signals that tell you exactly what<br />
is happening i.e. your bladder is full. Spasm<br />
can also help maintain muscle tone in limbs,<br />
promote blood circulation and assist bowel<br />
and bladder function.<br />
For example a bladder that is full will send<br />
sensory messages off alerting the brain that<br />
it needs emptying. The signal may not reach<br />
the brain but the message may promote a<br />
reflex signal from the spinal cord that<br />
instructs the bladder muscles to empty.<br />
Reflexes & Spasm<br />
Before your injury a normal function of<br />
the spinal cord was reflex activity. This is a<br />
system that reacts instantly to protect the<br />
body and keep you from hurting yourself<br />
i.e. moving your body away from sources<br />
of heat.<br />
Painful pressure on muscles, or painful<br />
sensations on skin causes sensory messages<br />
to be sent out from the nerves in the area.<br />
Low strength signals travel to the spinal cord<br />
and then on to the brain. Higher strength<br />
signals ‘bounce’ off the spinal cord straight<br />
back to a muscle that is able to move the<br />
“I had a fall at home - cleaning windows while<br />
standing on the carport roof!...I found that<br />
[rehab] went well for me. My advantages were<br />
my age (55), my counselling qualification<br />
which helped me hugely to understand the<br />
grief process and understand what I and<br />
family members were going through. I used<br />
my training to help get through difficult<br />
times. I am also up front, open and honest<br />
- so I asked for the information I needed to<br />
help me get through and asked for a ‘chat’<br />
with senior nurses to sort out any confusion<br />
I had or misunderstanding. I also had huge<br />
support from family and friends.”<br />
Robin Paul T12<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
28
Your Bowel<br />
Immediately following a spinal cord injury<br />
your bowel will be flaccid, that is, lacking<br />
muscle movement. Your intestines will<br />
still continue to function, processing food<br />
and absorbing nutrients. Depending on<br />
your level of injury you will either develop<br />
a reflex bowel, or your bowel may continue<br />
to be flaccid<br />
Reflex Bowel<br />
If your injury is above T12 your bowel<br />
will probably empty by a reflex action.<br />
With spinal cord impairment the feelings<br />
to indicate that the rectum is full are not<br />
able to reach the brain, but they will reach<br />
the spinal cord. As the rectum gets full<br />
and stretches it pushes on the nerves in<br />
the bowel. This causes a sensory signal to<br />
be sent from the bowel through the sacral<br />
nerves to the spinal cord. The signal then<br />
loops back down along the sacral nerves to<br />
the bowel muscles. At this point you would<br />
have a bowel motion.<br />
Flaccid Bowel<br />
If your lesion is at L1 or below, the bowel<br />
will probably not have a reflex action. This<br />
is because the spinal cord ends at around L1<br />
so any signals from the rectal nerves cannot<br />
loop along the sacral nerves to the spinal<br />
cord. This means that the bowel muscles<br />
will not squeeze and the rectal sphincter<br />
muscle stays loose.<br />
You will probably need to learn differen<br />
ways of managing your food intake<br />
and bowel movements. A good bowel<br />
management program will help you regain<br />
some control and keep you healthier.<br />
See the Bowel chapter for more<br />
information on this area.<br />
Your Bladder<br />
'Taking a pee’ is one of the most common<br />
body care activities we undertake, passing<br />
urine is the end part of a simple but<br />
important body process. The body’s urinary<br />
system spends all of its time monitoring the<br />
amount of water and wastes in your body.<br />
It is the ‘oil filte ’ of the body, keeping your<br />
lifeblood clean and running smoothly.<br />
A spinal cord impairment will affect your<br />
ability to pee in some way. Any impairment,<br />
no matter how minor, will affect part of your<br />
‘chain of command’. However, there are<br />
a number of different bladder management<br />
techniques that will allow you to gain<br />
control over your bladder function.<br />
Learning good bladder management<br />
techniques is important to help keep you<br />
free from infections, bladder and kidney<br />
stones, and other complications both now<br />
and in the long term.<br />
See the Bladder chapter for<br />
more information on this area.<br />
“Don’t let things get in your way<br />
from doing something just because you<br />
don’t think you can do it. Try as many<br />
different ways to do something, in the<br />
end you will find a way to do it that<br />
works well after the 100’s of attempts<br />
that didn’t work. Doing the buttons up<br />
on my jeans took me 30 mins the first<br />
time, 20 the second and now it only<br />
takes about 25 seconds. It took a long<br />
time to figure out how but now it is so<br />
simple. I have struggled initially but<br />
now I can do almost anything.”<br />
Tim Johnson C6/7<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
29
Skin & Sensation<br />
The pairs of peripheral nerves that branch<br />
off the spinal cord carry sensory messages<br />
from very defined areas of the body to the<br />
brain. When talking about sensation these<br />
areas are called dermatomes and they can be<br />
mapped out quite accurately to help fin<br />
out exactly which parts of your cord have<br />
been damaged. Use the drawing below and<br />
the illustrations on pages 18 and 19 to see<br />
how the dermatomes, neves and vertebrae<br />
all relate to each other.<br />
Each pair of peripheral nerves also sends<br />
motor messages to the muscle groups near<br />
each dermatome area. When talking about<br />
motor messages these areas are called<br />
myotomes.<br />
If your injury is complete, it means there is a<br />
total blockage of messages at the level of your<br />
injury. If your injury is incomplete, it means<br />
there is a partial blockage and some (or all)<br />
feeling and movement may remain below<br />
the level of your<br />
injury. Medical<br />
staff can often<br />
determine the exact<br />
level of your injury<br />
by testing your<br />
muscle function<br />
and sensation.<br />
your body can squeeze shut the tiny blood<br />
vessels that supply tissue with oxygen and<br />
nutrients. This is most likely to occur over<br />
bony areas where your bones are closer to<br />
the surface of your skin. If starved of these<br />
‘fuels’ for too long your tissues will begin<br />
to die and pressure areas will start to form.<br />
A spinal cord impairment means that you<br />
have to consciously take over the task of<br />
looking after your skin. Because you cannot<br />
react to sensations of damage as it occurs,<br />
you now have to predict and prevent that<br />
damage before it occurs. You will need to<br />
learn good habits of pressure relief lifting and<br />
turning to keep your skin in top condition<br />
and to keep you out of hospitals!<br />
See the Skin chapter for more<br />
information on this area.<br />
If you have no<br />
sensation below<br />
the level of your<br />
impairment, your<br />
brain does not get<br />
the alert signals<br />
that areas of your<br />
skin are not getting<br />
enough blood<br />
supply, are too hot<br />
or cold, or are being<br />
cut, punctured or<br />
bruised. If you sit<br />
or lie in the same<br />
position for a long<br />
time the pressure<br />
on small areas of<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
30
Hope of Recovery & Cure<br />
Recovery<br />
Spinal shock may initially mask the eventual<br />
outcome of your impairment. You may be<br />
tempted to not participate in some aspects of<br />
your rehabilitation in the hope that you will<br />
recover the function as your injury settles.<br />
It is true that there are many different<br />
outcomes from similar levels of impairment,<br />
especially if you have an incomplete injury.<br />
The hope that you will recover lost function<br />
should not stop you from participating in<br />
your rehabilitation. If you work harder<br />
towards your rehabilitation now you will<br />
be able to make better use of any return of<br />
function later. You will also be able to get<br />
out of hospital sooner!<br />
Cure<br />
You may want to know what the likelihood<br />
of a ‘cure’ is. A spinal cord injury is not a<br />
disease, even if it has been caused by one,<br />
and therefore cannot be ‘cured’. As with<br />
any other injury, medical professions treat<br />
the symptoms and effects of the injury as<br />
best as modern medicine allows.<br />
A spinal cord injury is one of the most<br />
complicated injuries the body can sustain.<br />
At the time of this publication there are over<br />
200 research programmes internationally<br />
studying all of the aspects of spinal cord<br />
injury and regeneration. There are many<br />
hopeful advances but none of these<br />
programmes have successfully restored full<br />
function following a complete lesion.<br />
Whilst it is reasonable to assume that the<br />
constant advances in medical technology<br />
will eventually allow surgeons to restore<br />
function to injured spinal cords, it is also<br />
likely that these procedures may initially be<br />
available only for the newly injured. This<br />
is because the body ‘att cks’ the site of the<br />
lesion following injury. It seems that the<br />
first advances in spinal cord injury will be<br />
in preventing the body attacking the injured<br />
area within the first 48 hours<br />
Existing injuries may be more difficul to<br />
repair than ‘new’ ones.<br />
After injury, damaged nerve cells release<br />
Calcium ions and substances that break<br />
down the protective myelin insulation of<br />
nerves and other cell membranes. This chain<br />
reaction damages nerve cells near the site of<br />
injury that could otherwise have recovered.<br />
The damage also seems to be more severe if<br />
there is a lack of oxygen following the injury.<br />
A lot of research is going into preventing this<br />
secondary injury to reduce the overall effec<br />
of the injury. There are many publications<br />
and websites devoted to the advances in<br />
spinal cord research if you are interested in<br />
learning more about this.<br />
“We do not discourage<br />
hope for an eventual ‘cure’<br />
but we do encourage you<br />
to do everything within<br />
your capabilities to have<br />
an active and enjoyable<br />
life now! If you sit and<br />
wait for a ‘maybe’ you may<br />
end up disappointed and<br />
missing out on the many<br />
opportunities available<br />
immediately.”<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
31
Descriptions<br />
No two spinal cord impairments are the<br />
same. Depending on the cause of the<br />
impairment, there may be some spinal<br />
cord fibres unaffe ted. The following terms<br />
are used to classify the type and extent of<br />
impairment you have received.<br />
Lesion<br />
Any damage to the spinal cord is called a<br />
lesion. If caused by an injury, it is called a<br />
traumatic lesion.<br />
Level of Injury<br />
Spinal cord injuries are classified in the<br />
medical world by the level at which the<br />
spinal cord is damaged. The bony level<br />
describes which vertebrae are damaged<br />
(e.g. cervical vertebrae 6 and 7 = C6/7). The<br />
neurological level describes which nerves<br />
are impaired, followed by a description of<br />
complete or incomplete.<br />
your injury. The amount lost will depend<br />
on how much damage is done to your spinal<br />
cord. There are 5 main types of incomplete<br />
injury:<br />
Central Cord Syndrome<br />
An injury to the cord centre usually occurs<br />
in the neck. You may experience a complete<br />
loss of arm function yet still have some leg<br />
function. The sensation in the hands is<br />
often very disordered. Bladder and bowel<br />
are often partially spared and there may be<br />
recovery, starting in the lower limbs and<br />
progressing upwards.<br />
Complete<br />
A complete injury means there is a total<br />
blockage of messages at your point of injury.<br />
There will be no feeling or movement below<br />
the level of injury.<br />
Anterior Cord Syndrome<br />
Anterior means ‘ the front’. Damage to the<br />
front of your spinal cord will usually result<br />
in partial or complete loss of movement<br />
as well as pain, temperature and touch<br />
sensations below the injury level. You may<br />
still have some pressure sensation and<br />
position sense.<br />
Incomplete<br />
An incomplete injury means there is a<br />
partial blockage and some (or all) feeling<br />
and movement remains below the level of<br />
Posterior Cord Syndrome<br />
Posterior means ‘the back’. Damage to the<br />
back of your cord may leave good power,<br />
pain and temperature sensation but create<br />
difficultie in movement coordination. This<br />
is very rare.<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
32
Descriptions<br />
Brown-Sequard Syndrome<br />
Where the damage is mainly on one side of<br />
the cord. On the injured side, muscle power<br />
may be reduced or absent and pressure<br />
and position sense are disordered. The<br />
other side experiences loss of, or reduced<br />
sensations of pain and temperature but<br />
movement, pressure and position sense<br />
tend to remain.<br />
Tetraplegia / Quadriplegia<br />
Those who injure their spine in the cervical<br />
region will have partial or complete paralysis<br />
of their arms. They are referred to as people<br />
who have tetraplegia because four limbs are<br />
affected. Quadriplegia describes the same<br />
condition and is more commonly used in<br />
America.<br />
Neurology<br />
Any injury that damages the spinal cord<br />
will be described by medical professionals<br />
as ‘an injury that has neurology’ i.e. it has<br />
neurological damage.<br />
An injury to the spine that does not damage<br />
the spinal cord is referred to by medical<br />
professionals as an ‘injury without having<br />
neurology’. This means that the neurology<br />
(nervous system) is unaffected and normal.<br />
Most patients without any neurology will be<br />
treated by orthopaedic specialists and not<br />
referred to a spinal unit.<br />
Cauda Equina Lesion<br />
The ‘horses tail’ of nerves that spread out<br />
from the base of the spinal cord. An injured<br />
cauda equina may result in a patchy loss<br />
of power and sensation to the lower limbs.<br />
Functional recovery can happen over 12-<br />
18 months if the roots are not completely<br />
crushed. The bowel and bladder are usually<br />
severely affected<br />
Paralysis<br />
Paralysis simply means the inability to feel<br />
or deliberately move parts of your body.<br />
Paraplegia<br />
The term used that describes the condition<br />
of paralysis below the level of the neck<br />
(below T1) is paraplegia. People who have<br />
paraplegia will have partial or total paralysis<br />
of their legs and trunk.<br />
“When I was going through<br />
rehabilitation I learnt a lot off<br />
other para’s and tetras who<br />
came back in the unit for reassessments<br />
etc.<br />
They provided me with a lot of<br />
feedback and helpful tips and<br />
information. I seemed to take<br />
more notice of them because they<br />
had a chair under their bum.<br />
More credibility I suppose?”<br />
Keith Jarvie C4/5<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
33
Common Terms<br />
The following table contains common terms, slang and jargon that you may hear daily in the<br />
unit. Medical staff get so used to using this ‘code language’ that they sometimes forget to<br />
translate it for you. If you hear a term you don’t know, ask the person to explain it to you. If<br />
that is not practical, look it up in this table - it will give an idea of what is being talked about.<br />
Remember that different spinal units may use different terms to describe similar things. If<br />
the terms do differ, write down or have someone else write down the accepted version next<br />
to the ones listed here.<br />
TERM FULL NAME EXPLANATION<br />
‘Acute’<br />
An Acute Patient<br />
All new patients undergoing the first stage<br />
of their recovery are referred to as ‘acute’<br />
patients<br />
‘BIRD’ Positive Pressure Machine A machine that fills your lungs with air to<br />
full capacity to give them a good stretch out<br />
‘Bloods’ Blood Analysis Refers to the process, or the results of a<br />
blood test<br />
BP Blood Pressure Your blood pressure is measured regularly<br />
and monitored<br />
BWO Bladder Wash Out Refer to Bladder Chapter<br />
COC Change of Catheter Refer to Bladder Chapter<br />
‘Commode’ A Commode Chair A portable toilet chair often used in the<br />
shower as well<br />
CT Scan<br />
Computer Tomography<br />
Scan<br />
Also known as a CAT Scan, these are used<br />
to look at specific organs in your body<br />
‘Cysto’ Cystometry An examination of your bladder function<br />
‘Exam’ Examination Procedures that look for a specific signs or<br />
symptoms are often called ‘exams’<br />
FBC Fluid Balance Chart A way to measure your fluid intake and<br />
output<br />
GP<br />
ICU<br />
General Practitioner<br />
Intensive Care Unit<br />
Doctors who work in private practice<br />
outside of a hospital are known as General<br />
Practitioners, or GP’s<br />
A hospital ward that specialises in caring<br />
for people immediately after an injury<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
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Common Terms<br />
TERM FULL NAME EXPLANATION<br />
ISC<br />
Isolation<br />
I/V<br />
IVU<br />
KUB<br />
Ultrasound<br />
MRI<br />
MRSA<br />
NBM<br />
N/G<br />
O2<br />
OT<br />
‘Physio’<br />
‘Physio’<br />
Intermittent Self<br />
Catheterisation<br />
Isolation Room<br />
Intra-Venous<br />
Intra-Venous Urogram<br />
Kidney Ureters Bladder<br />
Ultrasound<br />
Magnetic Resonance<br />
Imaging<br />
Multi-Resistant<br />
Staphylococcus Aureus<br />
Nil By Mouth<br />
Naso-Gastric<br />
Oxygen<br />
Occupational Therapist<br />
1. Physiotherapist<br />
2. Physiotherapy<br />
Refer to Bladder Chapter<br />
New patients may be placed in a room by<br />
themselves until it is known that they are<br />
clear of foreign diseases or bacteria such as<br />
MRSA<br />
A small tube that goes into your vein<br />
that can be used to give you IV fluids or<br />
medication<br />
An x-ray procedure that measures renal<br />
(kidney) and urinary system function<br />
An investigation of your urinary system<br />
Another way of looking at internal organs<br />
in your body<br />
A drug resistant infection commonly known<br />
as ‘the super bug’. People with MRSA are<br />
cared for in room of their own (isolation)<br />
A restricted food and fluid programme that<br />
helps measure some body functions<br />
A method of feeding you through a tube in<br />
your nose that leads to your stomach<br />
You may be provided with additional<br />
oxygen to assist your breathing<br />
A person trained to help people learn new<br />
ways of everyday activities after an injury<br />
A person trained to help you strengthen<br />
your muscles and keep the movement in<br />
your body’s joints<br />
Also used as a term to refer to your<br />
physiotherapy programme<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
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Common Terms<br />
TERM FULL NAME EXPLANATION<br />
Restricted Fluids<br />
SAT’s<br />
SCI<br />
TPR<br />
Ultrasound<br />
‘Uro’<br />
VC<br />
Restricted Fluids<br />
Programme<br />
Oxygen Saturation<br />
Spinal Cord Injury<br />
(or impairment)<br />
Temperature Pulse<br />
Respiratory Rate<br />
Ultrasound<br />
Examination<br />
Urodynamics<br />
Vital Capacity<br />
A programme that carefully monitors the<br />
amount of fluids you have each day to help<br />
with your bladder care<br />
Describes the percentage of oxygen in your<br />
blood<br />
A medical description concerning a<br />
particular type of injury or impairment to the<br />
spinal cord<br />
Your ‘vital signs’ are monitored daily and the<br />
results are kept on a ‘TPR Chart’<br />
A visual imaging examination that uses<br />
sound (like radar) to produce pictures of your<br />
‘insides’<br />
The department that specialises in bladder<br />
functions<br />
Measures the volume of your lungs as you<br />
breathe out<br />
‘Video’ Video Cystometry An x-ray ‘movie’ of your bladder working<br />
X-ray<br />
X-ray examination<br />
A still photograph that shows dense objects<br />
in your body, i.e. bones<br />
“It can take me 10mins to do the smallest<br />
thing but hey, I did it myself. I think back<br />
when I first got my car. I could drive by<br />
myself and this meant my independence<br />
really increased. But you still have to be<br />
able to get in and out by yourself. What<br />
I did was make sure no one was around<br />
when I did it. I was out with friends and<br />
then decided to go home by myself. They<br />
watched me get in the car by myself, offering<br />
to help, but I needed to do it myself. Getting<br />
in the car is easy, it is getting out that is<br />
the hard part. So I went home and it took<br />
15-20 mins to get out of the car. Now it<br />
takes 1 minute.”<br />
Tim Johnson C6/7<br />
“I well remember when we arrived at [the<br />
unit] after what seemed a very long and<br />
slow ambulance ride from the airport. All<br />
I could see were the tops of street lights.<br />
My wife was with me and we were left<br />
waiting in a corridor for a very long time,<br />
with no idea of what was happening or<br />
what we were supposed to do. My wife,<br />
who is usually not very emotional, but<br />
was, unknown to us, in the early stages<br />
of pregnancy, was very upset and close<br />
to tears. It was a very bad introduction<br />
to what turned out to be a very caring,<br />
friendly and useful establishment.”<br />
Ian Popay T5<br />
© New Zealand Spinal Trust, 2014<br />
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