Question

The stage of spinal shock that follows spinal cord injury is characterized by a. absent spinal reflexes below the level of injury. b. autonomic dysreflexia. c. motor spasticity and hyperreflexia below the level of injury. d. reflex urination and defecation.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is  a. absent spinal reflexes below the level of injury.

Explanation:

Spinal shock strictly refers to the neurological condition that occurs immediately after a spinal cord injury, in which the loss of not only motor and sensory functions occurs, but also the abolition of all reflexes below the injury (reflexes of muscular or myotatic stretching and cutaneous reflexes). There is also flaccidity, loss of reflexes. It is characterized by hypotension associated with cervical or upper thoracic spinal injuries. This characteristic shock results from the lesion of the descending sympathetic pathway in the spinal cord, producing a loss of vasomotor tone and sympathetic innervation of the heart. This causes vasodilation of the affected area with accumulation of blood and a decrease in venous return to the heart as well as cardiac output.