Definition of a Tetraplegic

The term tetraplegic, or quadriplegic describes somebody who has damaged the spinal-cord in the neck region resulting in complete or semi-paralysis to all four limbs. There are 7 vertebrae in the neck, (commonly abbreviated to C1 - C7) In most cases paralysis is far more severe when you damage the higher vertebrae in your neck. The spinal-cord is extremely complex and not every injury is the same. You may find that two people with the same break have different varying degrees of mobility. I don't think I'm wrong in saying that young men are more likely to suffer from a spinal-cord injury to the neck due to practices such as jumping off high structures and diving in the water that is not deep enough.

There is sometimes a difference between the breaks, sometimes you can have something called an incomplete injury. Basically this means that the spinal cord isn't completely severed. Sometimes this can dramatically affect what movement you have. Some people may have movement in their legs and almost nothing in their arms. Some people are able to walk perfectly okay but have very weak upper body movement. Other incomplete injuries result in much better movement and strength and in some cases, control over bowel and bladder. A complete injury normally means the spinal cord is completely severed.

C1 - C3 complete injuries normally result in complete paralysis of all limbs. C1/2 and sometimes C3 will in many cases require ventilation to aid breathing. However, many C3 are able to breathe without the need for ventilation.

C4 - C5 complete injuries normally result in complete paralysis below chest level. Most patients have shoulder and limited arm movement. Limitations are lack of tricep muscles, no wrist extensors, and no finger movement.

C6 -C7 subjects often have quite a bit more movement than C5 for instance. C6 normally have wrist extensors but still no hand or tricep movement. However, their strength is in many cases, a little better than a C5 injury. C7 have good arm movement and functional triceps which makes life so much easier as you can often transfer yourself. They may often have slight hand movement.

Complete tetraplegia normally results in no bowel or bladder function.

This is just a brief description of tetraplegia, hopefully it should give you an idea of the different levels of break