Final answer:
The most common presentations of spinal cord injury are quadriplegia and paraplegia, with effects depending on the level and completeness of the injury. Partial SCI can lead to hemiplegia, affecting one side of the body. Treatment is challenging due to the limited regenerative capacity of spinal nerves, but research continues into potential therapies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most common presentation of a spinal cord injury (SCI) includes paralysis, which occurs when messages between the brain and the body are disrupted. Paralysis can manifest as either quadriplegia or paraplegia. Quadriplegia affects the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs, while paraplegia affects the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs, but the person retains the use of their arms and hands. In the event of partial damage to the spinal cord, known as a hemisection, symptoms can include hemiplegia, which results in paralysis on one side of the body, usually one leg, with the sensory outcome being more complex.
In the United States, there are around 10,000 spinal cord injuries annually. These injuries can lead to permanent changes in strength, sensation, and other body functions below the site of injury. Spinal nerves do not regenerate well, making treatment difficult, but research is ongoing into treatments like stem cell transplants and hypothermia to improve outcomes.