Spinal Cord Injury Information

I sincerely hope the information presented will be useful and help you and yours cope with this devastating injury.

If you do not find a subject shown here, please let me know and I will certainly try to research the information and present it on this website in continuing updates.

SCI INFORMATION, Medical & Medications

This important section is devoted to the medical and medication information needed by the SCI, drugs and what they do, side effects, your prescription, autonomic dysreflexia, causes, symptoms, what to do, how to prevent this condition from occurring.

Autonomic Dysreflexia

  Above all else, autonomic dysreflexia is an emergency situation. Read the following carefully to learn about it before autonomic dysreflexia happens or if you think you have it.

  Autonomic dysreflexia is a complication that can be seen in almost anyone with a spinal cord injury above thoracic level six. It is important to be able to recognize autonomic dysreflexia and know what causes it and how to treat it, as it can be life threatening. The table below provides a detailed description of the symptoms and their causes.

  Autonomic dysreflexia is generally brought on by something that would have signalled pain or discomfort in you before your injury. Some possible causes are listed below:

• A full or distended bladder (frequently caused by a plugged or twisted catheter).

• Stool impaction (severe constipation).

• Infections (bladder, etc.).

• Tests and procedures (cystoscopy, gynecological exam).

• Pressure sores (decubiti).

• Traumatic pain (severe cuts or broken bones).

• Hot and cold temperatures.

• Sunburn.

• Tight clothes.

• Pressure on the testicles or penis.

• Severe menstrual cramps, labor (uterine contractions).

• Stomach ulcers.

• Some drugs (digoxin).

• Ejaculation.

The following is what you can do if you think you have autonomic dysreflexia:

  1. Sit up if you are lying down. This will decrease your blood pressure.

  2. Find and remove the cause. Autonomic dysreflexia usually will not go away until the cause of the problem has been corrected.

• Check for bladder problems first if you do not have a catheter in place, catheterize yourself. Empty your bladder slowly by lifting the draining end of your catheter. If you empty your bladder too fast, you may cause it to go into spasm, which can cause your blood pressure to go up again.

• Check for bowel problems next if your bladder is not the cause of the high blood pressure, check your bowel for stool. If there is stool in your rectum, you will need to remove it manually. Before removing the stool, you should apply numbing medicine to the anus and then wait five minutes for the medicine to work. This will prevent further stimulation to the area, which can cause your blood pressure to go up even more.

• Check for skin problems. If neither your bowel nor your bladder seems to be the cause, strip yourself and look for cuts, bruises, or ulcers on your body.

  3. Apply Nitroglycerin ointment to your skin above the level of injury or take nifedipine if your physician has given you this medication. This will lower your blood pressure while you are trying to find out why this has happened. Only certain patients who get autonomic dysreflexia a lot will be given this medication.

  4. GET HELP if you can’t find the cause. Call or go to the nearest hospital. Autonomic dysreflexia is an unusual problem, and not all health providers will know how to treat it. A physician should be notified immediately, because this is a medical emergency.

  You can prevent the symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia in many cases, but not always. Since the most common causes of autonomic dysreflexia are a full or distended (bloated) bladder and impactions of the bowel, you can prevent this from happening by making sure that:

  Your bladder is emptied routinely, Your catheter is draining well, and You have routine bowel movements.

  You may be one of those people who just has this problem more often than others. In this case, your doctors may put you on medication to prevent it.

  REMEMBER. If you do develop autonomic dysreflexia, you will soon learn what causes it for you. It is then that you will be able to treat it quickly and effectively. CARRY A CARD! An example of a card you can cut out and carry in your wallet is provided below. Put your name in the space below "FOR AUTONOMIC DYSREFLEXIA" on the card. Let people know you have this card and use it with medical staff to instruct in emergency care. It may save your life!