Three characteristics of cervical spine injury

Nowadays, many people suffer from cervical spine injuries, which are often accompanied by intervertebral disc herniation. Some patients with severe cervical spine injuries may even experience difficulty in movement, cervical pain, lower limb paralysis, etc. These injuries are very difficult to cure, and some injuries are irreversible. Cervical spine injuries generally have three major characteristics. So, what are the three main characteristics of cervical spine injury?

A syndrome caused by cervical disc degeneration and cervical bone hyperplasia, with neck and shoulder pain radiating to the occipital area or upper limbs. In severe cases, there may be spasms in both lower limbs, difficulty walking, and even paralysis of the limbs. A few experience dizziness. Clinical characteristics

Cervical spine injury is often accompanied by acute disc herniation. Patients have headache and neck pain, limited neck movement, and local tenderness. Involvement of the brachial plexus nerve roots can cause non-radiating pain in the arms. In severe injuries, symptoms of spinal cord compression may appear immediately, such as loss of sensation, urinary and bowel disorders, quadriplegia, and dyspnea. If the high cervical spinal cord is injured and bleeding occurs, and edema spreads to the medulla oblongata, central respiratory depression and high fever may occur, and the prognosis is poor.

Characteristics and nursing points of cervical spine injury

Key points of care:

1. Actively cooperate with the doctor and perform skull traction quickly.

2. Closely observe the patient's blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and body temperature, and give oxygen, infusion, and use a ventilator when necessary.

3. After traction, raise the head of the bed 25-30cm. For flexion fractures, keep the neck in a flexed position; for extension fractures, keep the neck in a neutral position.

4. Provide a high-calorie diet, pay attention to bowel movements, and actively carry out active and passive functional training to prevent disuse muscle atrophy and joint stiffness and promote recovery of limb function.

5. Patients with high paraplegia should sleep on a hard bed and turn over regularly. Special attention should be paid to keeping the head, neck and torso in a straight line when turning over to prevent pressure on bony protrusions and prevent bedsores. Indwelling catheterization should be performed and the bladder should be flushed on time and opened regularly.

6. Cervical spinal cord injury and autonomic nervous system dysfunction may cause persistent high fever. The patient should be placed in an air-conditioned room, and physical cooling and drug therapy may be used.

7. If the patient has difficulty breathing or is suppressed, a ventilator is required to assist or replace breathing. If respiratory secretions are difficult to cough out due to a destruction of the cough reflex, suction should be performed frequently to prevent suffocation or aspiration, and a tracheotomy should be performed if necessary. The patient should be turned over regularly to prevent aspiration pneumonia or atelectasis, and nebulizer inhalation should be given to keep the respiratory tract moist.