INSTRUCTIONS
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook reading
Lesson
In your reference for this assignment, be sure to include both your text/class materials AND your outside reading(s).
Initial Post Instructions
Johnny was involved in a car accident on his way home from work. In the ER, his nervous system is assessed. Johnny is not certain if the doctor is touching his calf or his foot. Johnny does have the ability to move his upper extremities and knows the difference when someone touches his elbow or wrist. What part of the spinal cord has been affected by the accident?
Follow-up question: what is the difference in location of damage between quadriplegia, paraplegia, and hemiplegia? Where would you expect a patient to have deficiencies with each of those injuries?
ANSWER
Based on the assessment, the accident affected the lumbar spine. The lumbar bones contain spinal cord nerves and tissue which control communication between the legs and the brain (Saladin, 2020). In this case, the lumbosacral nerves and spinal cord are not transmitting sensations from Johnny’s legs, feet, pelvis, and lower abdomen to the higher segments and eventually the brain. The L2 is the lowest vertebrate containing spinal cord tissue (Saladin, 2020). An injury below this point, specifically on L3, L4, and L5 bones, impacts the legs and hips and can lead to numbness up to the feet (Ball et al., 2019). In this case, Johnny’s injury is below the L2 vertebrate, which…. To access full answer, click on the purchase button below.