Spinal Cord Injury & Autonomic Dysreflexia

The level of a spinal cord injury determines the extent of motor/sensory loss and which body functions are affected — injuries above the phrenic nerve roots (roughly C3-C5) can impair the diaphragm itself, making ventilatory support a real possibility, while lower injuries preserve breathing but still cause paralysis below the level of injury. Spinal shock, occurring immediately after injury, causes a temporary loss of all reflexes, sensation, and motor function below the injury level, including flaccid paralysis and hypotension — this is distinct from the injury's eventual, more stable long-term presentation, which may include spasticity once spinal shock resolves.