spine case study
...brae and five sacral vertebrae. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves called upper motor neurons (UMNs) that carries messages between the brain and the spinal nerves along the spinal tract. Lower motor neurons (LMNs) are spinal nerves that branch out of the spinal cord to the other parts of the body and communicate with specific areas of the body. The sensory part of the LMN takes messages about sensation from the skin to the brain. The motor part of the LMN sends messages from the brain to body parts to trigger the muscle to move. Very high injuries at level of C1 and C2 can result in loss of involuntary functions such as breathing and may need an artificial breathing device such as a respirator. Injuries in C2 level may also affect blood pressure. Rashid had an injury at C2 level which is the level of the brainstem. The respiratory center in the human body is located in the brainstem, which is responsible for controlling the breathing rate. When the carbon dioxide level in the blood increases, the respiratory center sends signal to the respiratory muscles telling it to breath faster and deeper. Rashid injury probably caused damaged to the brain stem and as a result Rashid was unable to breath and died. Ahmed case is not as severe as Rahid’s case because it involves damage in the lower area of the cervical spine. However, the doctors do not know the severity of the spinal injury until they performs preliminary assessment such as blood pressure, breathing and pulse. In Ahmed’s case these results were normal which mean the injury is not in th...