Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury Quiz
Check your symptoms and
find possible causes with AI for free
Worried about your symptoms?
Start the test with our free AI Symptom Checker.
This will help us personalize your assessment.
By starting the symptom checker, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Loss of sensation
Weak
Tingling
My leg is numb
Numbness in hands
Body numbness
Numbness in lower leg
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury?
The acute phase starts right after a spinal cord injury, which is caused by trauma to the spinal cord. This phase includes blood vessel damage, ionic imbalance, neurotransmitter buildup (excitotoxicity), inflammation, swelling, and cell death.
Typical Symptoms of Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury
- Unable to move my fingers
- Unable to turn over when lying down
- Numbness anywhere from the knees to the ankles
- Reduced sensitivity to feeling pain
- Numbness in the region from shoulder to elbow
- Numbness anywhere from the elbow to the wrist
- Numbness of the thigh
- Tingling or pricking numbness in the legs even when keeping still
Diagnostic Questions for Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Are you unable to move your fingers despite using strength?
- Do you struggle turning over in bed by yourself?
- Do you have numbness in your lower legs?
- Do you have reduced sensitivity to pain?
- Do you have numbness from shoulder to elbow?
Treatment of Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury
Treatment focuses on maintaining breathing, preventing shock, immobilizing the patient to avoid more spinal cord damage, and preventing complications like stool or urine retention, respiratory or heart issues, and deep vein clot formation.
Reviewed By:
Maxwell J. Nanes, DO (Emergency Medicine)
Dr Nanes received a doctorate from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and went on to complete a residency in emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. There he trained at Froedtert Hospital and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in the practice of adult and pediatric emergency medicine. He was a chief resident and received numerous awards for teaching excellence during his time there. | | After residency he took a job at a community hospital where he and his colleagues worked through the toughest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Content updated on Dec 5, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
Was this page helpful?
Tell your friends about us.
We would love to help them too.
Think you might have
Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury?
Try a symptom check testHow Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Lower back pain
- Upper back pain
- Joint pain
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle fatigue
- Arthritis pain
- Muscle and joint pain with fatigue
- Muscle stiffness
- Mobility issues
- Lower back pain can't turn over in bed
- Stiff muscles and joints
See full list
Symptoms Related to Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury
Diseases Related to Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury
FAQs
Q.
Paraplegic? Why your legs are paralyzed & medical next steps
A.
Paraplegia means paralysis of both legs from damage to the spinal cord or, less often, the brain; causes range from trauma to tumors, infections, autoimmune conditions like transverse myelitis or MS, clots, and degenerative spine disease. Recovery depends on the level and completeness of injury, with some improvement possible in incomplete injuries. If symptoms are sudden, treat it as an emergency so doctors can stabilize you, perform MRI or CT imaging, consider surgery or targeted medications, and start early rehabilitation, with ongoing plans for skin, bladder and bowel, circulation, bone, sexual health, and mental health; there are several factors to consider, so see the complete guidance below for details that can change your next steps and when to seek urgent care.
References:
* Kumar P, Kalra S, Kumar N, et al. Spinal cord injury: prognosis and current treatment perspectives. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2018;1415(1):3-16. doi:10.1111/nyas.13540
* Ahuja CS, Wilson JR, Nori S, et al. Acute spinal cord injury: A review of recent updates in pathophysiology, imaging, and management. J Neurosurg Spine. 2021;35(2):167-184. doi:10.3171/2020.8.SPINE20894
* Guest J, Dietz N, Truong D. Spinal cord injury: clinical assessment and diagnosis. Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;161:205-220. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64142-7.00013-4
* Routh S, Khazaei M, Khazaei R, Dossa A, Zafonte RD, Shaffrey CI. Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. World Neurosurg. 2020;143:524-533. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2020.08.068
* Smith N, O'Connell C, Dubé M, et al. Secondary complications after spinal cord injury: a scoping review. J Spinal Cord Med. 2020;43(5):590-607. doi:10.1080/10790268.2019.1601004
Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
Ubie is recognized by healthcare and tech leaders
“World’s Best Digital
Health Companies”
Newsweek 2024
“Best With AI”
Google Play Best of 2023
“Best in Class”
Digital Health Awards 2023 (Quarterfinalist)
Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Wilson, J. R., Tetreault, L. A., Kwon, B. K., ... (2017). Timing of decompression in patients with acute spinal cord injury: a systematic review. Global spine.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2192568217701716Fehlings, M. G., Tetreault, L. A., Wilson, J. R., ... (2017). A clinical practice guideline for the management of acute spinal cord injury: introduction, rationale, and scope. Global spine.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2192568217703387Kong, X., & Gao, J. (2017). Macrophage polarization: a key event in the secondary phase of acute spinal cord injury. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcmm.13034