A Concept

Science assessment – Vinny Donnini 27/7/2014

1) Define the terms spinal cord, paraplegia, quadriplegia and paralysis.

Spinal cord: the cylindrical bundle of nerve fibres and associated tissue which is enclosed in the spine and connects nearly all parts of the body to the brain, with which it forms the central nervous system.

Paraplegia: paralysis of the legs and lower body, typically caused by spinal injury or disease.

Quadriplegia: paralysis of all four limbs; tetraplegia

Paralysis: the loss of ability to move (and sometimes to feel anything) in part or most of the body, typically as a result of illness, poison or injury.

2) Use the graph below showing the causes of spinal injury to answer the following questions

a. What are the two leading causes of spinal injury?

The two main causes of spinal injury are the motor vehicle occupants and unprotected road users.

b. 8% of spinal cord injuries are sport related. Athletic activites such as ice-hockey, fooball, rugby, wrestling, diving, skiing and snowboarding are the cause of spinal cord injuries.

3) Explain why an injury in the neck region of the spinal cord my result in quadriplegia, whereas an injury in the lower back region of the spinal cord may result in paraplegia.

This would most likely lead to being a quadriplegia depending on how bad the injury is, while an injury caused in the lower back section of the spine may result to paraplegia due to the messages not being sent to the brain.

4) A number of diseases could end up in paralysis. Investigate one of those conditions. Outline;

a. Stroke is a disease caused by the blood clotting up, blocking artery’s or a blood vessels which breaks interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen brain cells begin to die and damage occurs causing a stroke.

b. The effects of having a stroke on one’s mobility can be severe, post stroke symptoms can include hemiparesis, spacity, dysphagia, weakness,...