Top 9 Symptoms of Spine Injury

ByDerick Ng

The spinal cord is the most important structure in our body. It contains all the nerves that carry messages from our brain to the body and vice versa. The spinal cord passes through the back of our body from the neck down. Spinal cord injuries are extremely serious injuries that cause permanent loss of movement at the site of the injury.

There are many possible signs and symptoms of a spinal cord injury which includes:

Deformation of spine

If the patient is lying on the ground on his back in an awkward position such as a tilted head in an unusual position, it may be due to a severe spinal injury

Head injury

Patients with severe head injury such as depression in parts of the skull are assumed to have injured their spine.

Spinal pain

Any pain in the spinal region whether localized or defused may indicate spinal injury and special attention is required.

Bruises and cuts

If there are bruises, cuts or wound over the spinal region, it is an indication that a spinal injury may have occurred.

Numbness

Numbness or paralysis at parts of the body indicates that an injury to the cervical spine has occurred. The patient will often feel weak and loss of ability to move the limbs. Check the areas affected and whether does it affect just the upper or lower body.

Loss of bladder and bowel control

Patients with spinal injury often lose their bladder and bowel control. Nerves control our bladder and bowel control and patients who suffered spinal injury are unable to know that their bladder are full and thus will cause their bladder to empty by itself.

Irregular reflexes

The body's reflex functions are controlled by our nerves. As such, any irregularity observed indicates a spinal injury.

Spasticity

After an injury to the spinal cord, scar tissues will form, disconnecting the nerve cells at the injury site from the brain. As a result, the nerve cells which control our muscle activities are affected, causing spasticity.

Sexual dysfunction

When our brain processes sexual thoughts, it sends signals through our nerves down to our penis. However in the presence of a spinal injury, the nerves that control our ability to have an erection are injured, causing the inability to have an erection.

Depending on the severity of injury suffered to the spinal cord, the paralysis can be complete or incomplete. Despite the advancement of medical technology, there is still no cure for spinal injuries. Thus, prevention is the best option available. Therefore it is extremely important to protect our spinal cord.

We introduce you Singapore Sports and Orthopaedics Clinic where professional help will be offered in the areas of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for spine surgery and sports injuries.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derick_Ng

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Derick Ng

Email Address:SubscribeHealth and Fitness Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchSimilar ArticlesSpine Injuries and YouHead & Spine Injury Claims - Where to Go From Here?How to Avoid Spine Injuries?A Spine Injury Can Put Your Life in JeopardyAvoiding Scalpels - An Alternative Solution to Spine Injury Without SurgerySpinal InjuryTips For Preventing Back InjuriesBack Injury Prevention By Lifting ProperlyWarm-Up for the Spine - Three Easy Methods to Warm Up the Spine for ActivityWhat is Spinal Cord Injury?Recent ArticlesBotox and Our Fascination With YouthLiposuction - What Is It?Subjects You Must Know To Work In Medical Billing and CodingWhat Is a Leaky Gut?Getting a Sports Physical FastA Career in Health Care Is a Dream Job in Today's EconomyBuying a Hearing Aid: What You Should Be Aware OfCan a Hearing Aid Help You?Buying a Hearing Aid: When to Exercise CautionDiet, Exercise, and ConsistencySubmitted On April 23, 2012. Viewed 8 times. Word count: 428.

MLA Style Citation:
Ng, Derick".".23 Apr. 2012EzineArticles.com.25 Apr. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Ng, D. (2012, April 23). . Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-­9-­Symptoms-­of-­Spine-­Injury&id=7020279Chicago Style Citation:
Ng, Derick "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-­9-­Symptoms-­of-­Spine-­Injury&id=7020279EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
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Get to Know Sleep Apnea and the Symptoms

ByLara Rosa

Sleep apnea is a disorder wherein there is an irregularity in breathing patterns while a person sleeps. This is a condition that instead of the normal deep and heavy breaths that a person should exhibit, one with this disorder experiences shallow breathing, or a complete pause from it causing a reduction in the air and oxygen flow in the body, affecting certain organs especially the brain. This leads to poor sleep quality, since deep sleeps are disrupted, making a person feel tired and perform poorly in daily activities. If left untreated, this disorder may lead to extreme fatigue, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats.

Most of the time, it goes untreated since it is a disorder that is hard to diagnose, having no blood tests that can detect the disorder. However, there are indexes that doctors use to detect this. One is the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which gives an overview of the severity of apnea such as disruptions and oxygen level decreases. The other index used is the respiratory index (RI), a similar method to the apnea-hypopnea index, this index includes the respiratory events that are not covered by the AHI.

Once diagnosed, sleep apnea can be classified into three major types. The first is obstructive, the most common of the three; it is caused by an obstruction or blockage in the airway. This blockage is a collapsing or relaxation of the soft tissue and muscles in the airway causing an obstruction in the airflow during breathing. The second type is central, a less common type involving the central nervous system. In this type, there is no obstruction in the airway but the irregularity in breathing patterns is caused by the brain failing to signal the respiratory muscles to execute breathing due to respiratory control center instability. The last type is complex or mixed. This type is defined as having both obstructive and central characteristics.

Difficult as it may be to be diagnosed, there are a few common signs and symptoms to detect this disorder in people, note that if a person if found to exhibit these signs, medical attention should be given to the person:

Daytime sleepiness regardless of hours asleepLoud, chronic snoringLong pauses in breathingGasping, snorting, or choking during sleepRestless or fitful sleepWaking up feeling out of breathInsomnia or nighttime awakenings

It is usually caused by a number of factors such as being overweight, old age, smoking, and physical attributes like having a thick neck, enlarged tonsils, or a receding chin. Allergies and other nasopharyngeal conditions are also found to be a cause of this disorder.

Although it is a serious condition, sleep apnea is easy to treat. You can also reduce the risk of getting this disorder by losing weight, quitting smoking, regular sleeping hours, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and eating heavy meals two hours before going to bed. Some home remedies and tips include sleeping on your side, propping your head up, and using nasal dilators or breathing strips to open your nasal passages.

If you or someone you know suffers from sleep apnea and you would like to find out more about it. Visit the Sleep Apnea Testing center and learn more!

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lara_Rosa

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Lara Rosa

Email Address:SubscribeHealth and Fitness Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchSimilar ArticlesSuffer From Snoring Or Sleep Apnea? Find Relief TodayRecent ArticlesBotox and Our Fascination With YouthLiposuction - What Is It?Subjects You Must Know To Work In Medical Billing and CodingWhat Is a Leaky Gut?Getting a Sports Physical FastA Career in Health Care Is a Dream Job in Today's EconomyBuying a Hearing Aid: What You Should Be Aware OfCan a Hearing Aid Help You?Buying a Hearing Aid: When to Exercise CautionDiet, Exercise, and ConsistencySubmitted On April 18, 2012. Viewed 12 times. Word count: 508.

MLA Style Citation:
Rosa, Lara".".18 Apr. 2012EzineArticles.com.25 Apr. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Rosa, L. (2012, April 18). . Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-­to-­Know-­Sleep-­Apnea-­and-­the-­Symptoms&id=7008815Chicago Style Citation:
Rosa, Lara "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-­to-­Know-­Sleep-­Apnea-­and-­the-­Symptoms&id=7008815EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
All Rights Reserved Worldwide

About UsFAQContact UsMember BenefitsPrivacy PolicyShopSite MapBlogTrainingVideo ArchiveAdvertisingAffiliatesCartoonsAuthorsSubmit ArticlesMembers LoginPremium MembershipExpert AuthorsEndorsementsEditorial GuidelinesTerms of ServicePublishersFollow UsTerms Of ServiceEzines / Email AlertsManage SubscriptionsEzineArticles RSS