Serious Warning Signs Of A Spinal Cord Injury

Muscle Spasms

Muscle spasms are where an individual's legs experience stiffness and uncontrollable leg movements. An individual who experiences muscle spasms as the result of a spinal cord injury may present with rapid contraction of the muscles, an involuntary crossing of the legs, increased muscle tone, fixed joints, or exaggerated deep reflexes of the tendons. Muscle spasms occur in individuals who have spinal cord injuries because there is a disruption in the healthy flow of nerve impulses below the point of the injury. These impulses never make it to the reflex control center in the brain, which stimulates the spinal cord to compensate. However, the spinal cord is not as skilled at performing this function as the brain is, so the impulses sent to the affected part of the body can be overactive or exaggerated. The most prevalent muscles that experience spasms due to spinal injuries include those responsible for extending the leg and those responsible for bending the elbow joint.

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