My own experience and the conversations in these threads has sparked a question from me: Does our injury level affect what our anal sphincter does?
My initial accident damaged my L1 & L2 levels of the Conus Medullaris and Cauda Equina, and following that, my anal sphincter stayed open all the time, which caused some unforseen accidents. [*Insert embarassed face here!*]
After my hardware dislodged, I suffered extra damage, and was thought to have T12 level damage, which involves the spinal cord, in my case. (Each individual's spinal cord turns into the C.E. at a different level.) Then, my sphincter stayed shut most of the time, but was easily relaxed with digi-stim.
Now, 7 months after my 4th surgery, my sphincter still stays shut most of the time, but has become difficult to get to relax, except when I am sick, it seems. (At the time of posting my thread "Open Anus", I had a gastrointestinal flu virus and a U.T.I.)
Of course, injury levels determine it. We were already discussing this, that for injuries up to L1 there is one way of pooping, and Th12 and above another.
Besides that I think that also spasticity determines it. I think that flaccid paraplegia should have an opened sphincter, and spastic closed one. However I am more or less flaccid, and it is closed. But I am also Th12/L1 like you Knight, so kinda mixed when it comes to bowels. Anyway I could be wrong, well even though this could be the "rule", I am sure there are people who have spasms and have an open sphincter, and vice versa.
How is the situation with others, when it comes to spasms / bowels? There is of course a chance I am way off and this isn¨t correlated
The anal sphincter nerve damage is part of the assessment criteria for Spinal Cord Injury and especially for Cauda Equina Syndrome/Complete Cauda Equina Syndrome.
As you further issues have come up Knight,your sphincter should have only had more nerve damage if you had spinal cord compression and then the compression was not relieved in goof time.
If this has occurred then you could have even ended up with Cauda Equina in a complete syndrome. If i remember rightly, you do have CES already.
Have you had a specialist carry out an examination there to check your anal tone? This is how you will know if there is more damage there.
Its possible that if you have been having problems with your bowels and pushing then you could have other issues there that need a check on.
Its very difficult when sensation is altered to be sure what you are feeling internally also.
Good question Knight! From what I've read and heard it does seem like what you're asking is true. But at the same time, people with the same injury can even have a lot of differences so who really knows?
I have sarcoid lesions throughout my spinal cord and brain. Worst one is at L3, and I was told that is what took out my B&B. Years later was told I was "functionally T9 incomplete para", but I have neural deficits in my arms below elbow, sometimes when in flare of sarcoidosis almost paralysis. My anal sphincter is open, but I still have to use digistim, no sensation of when I have gone. A certain specific pain may indicate need to go. Weird--I think there are some generalities, but each of our injuries/diseases is so different.
yes my injury level is t10 but Anal is Sphincter but my bawl is not responding any
I am spinal cord injury man in paraplegic condition can any body tell about any treatment ??
Hi najam1234, can you tell us how you currently manage your bowels. That way we can get an insight and offer you some advice. I personally use the peristeen system wich has turned my life around. I found that the good old digital stimulation was totally ineffective for me. I'm a L3 incomplete. So even if you and I had identical injuries we would proberly have different outcomes in the bowel department.
Post by acrobatinmydreams on Mar 27, 2015 11:00:08 GMT -8
There is a difference. There are upper motor neuron injuries and lower motor neuron injuries.
I am T12-L3 (26 years ago). I have all the symptoms of CES but am called a T12 spinal cord injury.
I was most recently evaluated and I am now T10 Asia C. There were no Asia scores when I was injured.
Lower motor neuron injuries tend to flaccid which means you can probably push when having a bowel movement, you just can't stop or tighten the anal sphincter.
With much research, they have discovered that there is indeed a huge difference in the two and how they are treated.