Why do I have a sacral sparing?

Sacral sparing is used to help diagnose whether a person’s spinal cord injury is complete or incomplete. With complete spinal cord injuries, all sensory and motor functions below your level of injury are affected because signals from the brain cannot travel past the spinal lesion.

Is a sacral fracture serious?

Although uncommon, sacral stress fractures are an important and curable cause of low-back pain. They should be suspected in elderly patients suffering from low-back or pelvic pain without a history of trauma.

Why there is sacral sparing in intramedullary lesion?

Intramedullary tumors arising from the central part of the cord often spare sensation over the sacral region (“sacral sparing”) because of the somatotopic organization of the spinal cord, in which the sacral sensory fibers are at the most peripheral position within the spinal cord.

What happens if the sacrum is damaged?

In some cases, an injury to the sacrum can affect the nerves that control the bladder, bowel, or legs. Home treatment may be all that is needed for some sacral fractures. If a fracture is severe or affects nerves, you may need surgery. Bones heal best when you take good care of yourself.

What part of your spine controls your legs?

Sacral region The lowest part of the spinal cord contains 5 pairs of nerves. These control the thighs, lower legs, and the genital and anal areas. Sacral nerve injury can happen anywhere from the upper lumbar spine down to the sacrum.

How long does it take to recover from a fractured sacrum?

Fracture healing A sacral fracture takes 8–12 weeks to heal and fusion rates following sacral fractures have been reported to be 85–90%. Malunion can occur after delayed treatment or insufficient reduction, with a consequent alteration of pelvic incidence.

How painful is a sacral fracture?

These fractures can cause severe pain in the buttock, back, hip, groin, and/or pelvis. Walking is typically slow and painful. Many daily activities become painful, difficult, and in some cases impossible.

What does intramedullary lesion mean?

Intramedullary tumors are growths that develop in the supporting (glial) cells within the spinal cord. A spinal tumor is a growth that develops within your spinal canal or within the bones of your spine.

Can an incomplete paraplegic walk again?

While incomplete paraplegia can affect your ability to walk and control bowel and bladder functions, it may be possible to recover these functions.