What are sensory levels?
Sensory level is defined as the lowest spinal cord level that still has normal pinprick and touch sensation. If there is a spinal cord level below which there is no voluntary motor or conscious sensory function, the person is called a “complete” spinal cord injury.
What are key sensory points?
Key Sensory Points June 2008. S1 On the lateral aspect of the calcaneus. S2 At the midpoint of the popliteal fossa. S3 Over the ischial tuberosity or infragluteal fold (depending on the patient their skin can move up, down or laterally over the ischii). S4/5 In the perianal area, less than one cm.
What are the 5 levels of the spinal cord?
The vertebral levels are indicated on the left side while the cord segmental levels are listed for the cervical (red), thoracic (green), lumbar (blue), and sacral (yellow) cord. Vertebral segments. There are 7 cervical (neck), 12 thoracic (chest), 5 lumbar (back), and 5 sacral (tail) vertebrae.
How do you classify a level of spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can be classified based on function (how much feeling and movement you have) or on where the damage occurred. When a nerve in the spinal cord is injured, the nerve location and number are often used to describe how much damage there is.
How do you measure sensory levels?
Sensory level: The sensory level is determined by performing an examination of the key sensory points within each of the 28 dermatomes on each side of the body (right and left) and is the most caudal, normally innervated dermatome for both pin prick (sharp/dull discrimination) and light touch sensation.
What is a suspended sensory level?
Variable sensory loss below the level of the lesion – often referred to as “suspended” or “floating” sensory levels. Preservation of vibration and position sense (located in the spared posterior column), giving a “dissociated” sensory loss.
How do you measure sensory level?
How do you rate sensation?
For the ability to sense a sharp object, the best screening test uses a safety pin or other sharp object to lightly prick the face, torso, and 4 limbs; the patient is asked whether the pinprick feels the same on both sides and whether the sensation is dull or sharp.
How do you count your spinal levels?
The spinal nerves are numbered according to the vertebrae above which it exits the spinal canal. The 8 cervical spinal nerves are C1 through C8, the 12 thoracic spinal nerves are T1 through T12, the 5 lumbar spinal nerves are L1 through L5, and the 5 sacral spinal nerves are S1 through S5. There is 1 coccygeal nerve.
What is L1 and L2 in your back?
The spinal cord ends between the first and second lumbar vertebrae (L1-L2). Below this level, the remaining nerves form the cauda equina, a bundle of nerves resembling a horse’s tail.
Which scale is most commonly used to classify the severity of spinal cord injury?
3.1 Injury severity and phase of injury The American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) is widely used to classify the severity of injury in SCI individuals, with motor complete (AIS grade A and grade B), motor incomplete (AIS grade C and grade D), or normal (AIS grade E) (Kirshblum et al., 2011).
What is segmental sensory loss?
Dissociated sensory loss is a pattern of neurological damage caused by a lesion to a single tract in the spinal cord which involves preservation of fine touch and proprioception with selective loss of pain and temperature. Dissociated sensory loss. Specialty.