Depending on the degree of injury and amount of pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves, various amounts of weakness and or sensory loss can be seen. There may also be loss of bowel and or bladder control. Depending on the type of injury, various patterns may be seen in patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries. It is seen frequently in older patients who have cervical spinal stenosis. In central cord injuries, significant loss of strength in the arms and hands is seen in the setting of relatively preserved strength in the legs.
Sensory loss is variable.
The compression may be from bone fragments or a large disc herniation. Patients with anterior spinal cord syndrome usually have complete loss of strength below the level of injury. Sensory loss is incomplete. This is a result of interruption of signals from one half of the spinal cord. This syndrome may be seen in cases of stab wounds, blood clots or disc herniation.