Pain Management: Spinal Cord Injury
What Tests Are Used to Determine the Extent of Injury?
- Neurologic examinations
- CT scan or MRI of the spine
- Spine X-rays
Muscle Spasms, Cramps, and Charley Horse
You could be out for a run or drifting off to sleep when it happens: The muscles of your calf or foot suddenly become hard, tight, and extremely painful. You are having a muscle cramp. Sometimes called charley horses -- particularly when they are in the calf muscles -- cramps are caused by muscle spasms, involuntary contractions of one or more muscles. In addition to the foot and calf muscles, other muscles prone to spasms include the front and back of the thigh, the hands, arms, abdomen, and muscles...
Read the Muscle Spasms, Cramps, and Charley Horse article > >
How Is a Spinal Cord Injury Treated?
A spinal cord injury requires immediate treatment if long-term effects are to be avoided. Corticosteroid drugs such as Decadron (dexamethasone) or Medrol (methylprednisolone) are used to reduce swelling. In some cases, surgery may be recommended. Bed rest may be needed in order for the spine to heal. After acute spinal cord injuries occur, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other rehabilitation interventions sometimes are required.
Currently, there is no cure for spinal cord injury; however, researchers continue to work on advances, many of which have resulted in a decrease in damage at the time of the injury.
Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Pain Management.
WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic
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