What Are Complications Of C5 Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord Injury can cause permanent disability or paralysis or loss of movement in several areas. It can also make a person lose sensation on the areas involved. The severity of spinal cord injuries depends on the level of the spinal cord affected, as well as the completeness of the injury. A spinal cord injury in the level of the 5th cervical spine, also known as C5, is relatively high. According to Brain & Spinal Cord.org, C5 spinal injuries can cause paralysis along with several complete or incomplete complications.

According to the spinal cord injury peer support group called Apparelyzed, people with C5 spinal cord injury will still be able to have full neck and head movement. However, they will have complete paralysis of the whole body, legs and arms, a condition known as quadriplegia. There is a complete loss of function in the fingers, hands and wrists. The shoulders and the biceps can also be potentially paralyzed. Sensation will also be lost in these areas, including a person's ability to feel touch, heat and cold.
Although the urinary bladder will still be able to do its job of storing urine, it will not be able to communicate to the brain because of the C5 spinal cord injury, hence the person will no longer have any control over bladder emptying, as stated by cpchildrentreatment.com . Furthermore, this increases the risk of developing urinary tract and kidney infections. As for the bowels, fecal incontinence, or the inability to control the anal muscles, will also be apparent. When it comes to sexual function, cpchildrentreatment.com reports that men may not be able to have a normal erection and ejaculation as they did in the past, while women may also experience changes in lubrication. Sensation and movement in these areas will be decreased or will be absent altogether.

Since patients with C5 spinal cord injuries experience paralysis in the extremities, the muscles in these areas may have changes in muscle tone. According to cpchildrentreatment.com , there are two types of problems when it comes to muscle tone. One is muscle spasticity, in which the patient experiences tightening or uncontrolled spasms in the affected muscles. On the other hand, the person may also have soft and limp muscles that lack muscle tone, a condition known as muscle flaccidity. Due to lack of movement, weight loss and wasting away of the muscles may occur.