The human body is one set of intricate network that is connected to each and every part, large or small, to be able to function well. An injury, no matter how serious or insignificant has an effect felt throughout the body. One single injury can affect the functionality of the whole. That is how our body is designed.
The spinal cord, along with the brain acts as the centre of the intricate network called the nervous system. This is a very sensitive part of the body as small injuries in this part can have tremendous and lasting damage felt all over the body. Injury to the spine has the following effects to the body:
This is a temporary loss of all reflexes below the injury level. This is only temporary but it can last from a number of days to weeks. Following this, spasticity and difficulty can be felt below the spinal injury. There is no way for anyone to prevent this condition; it must also heal on its own.
After a spinal injury, it can be expected that the breathing muscles, which includes the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, will be very weak. This should be noted since coughing is the human body’s way of clearing up the lungs and preventing it from accumulating secretions and bacteria. If the muscles are weakened, then the body is prone to develop lung problems.
Low Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
Heart rate and blood pressure are actually regulated by a particular area in the brain. The brain simply sends, through the spinal cord, signals and messages to blood vessels to constrict and increase the heart rate to keep a constant flow of blood throughout the body. If this is broken up because of an injury in the spinal cord, then the heart rate and blood pressure significantly lowers down
Altered Temperature Regulation
The way the body regulates external temperature is also governed by the brain through the spinal cord. Again, if the spine is injured, the person may no longer be able to properly regulate temperature. He may experience loss of ability to sweat below the injury level.
The entire nervous system does not only function in delivering oxygen through the blood throughout the body, but it is also responsible for keeping the body functioning as it should. It is therefore very important to keep these parts of the body as injury-free as possible.