What is the difference?

roxxxy8183 · 05-07-2006, 10:18 PM

Can someone please explain to me the difference between complete and incomplete and why some are "T" and some are "C", and the meaning is one worse off than the other?? im trying to learn as much as i can...my b/f is T-10 complete, and im just curious...thank-you

CurlieQCarrie · 05-07-2006, 10:37 PM

C = cerival, which means that the injury has occured in the neck.
T = thorasic, the back. The lower the injury, the more the function.

There are threads that deal with complete and incompletes--I'm no expert on explaining that. I'll try to find a link and post it for you.

SCI-Nurse · 05-07-2006, 10:39 PM

Read this article by Dr. Young:

Spinal Cord Injury Levels and Classification

(KLD)

CurlieQCarrie · 05-07-2006, 10:39 PM

Yeah--that's (^up there^) what I was looking for.

Good luck.

Buck503 · 05-07-2006, 10:41 PM

C: Cervical spinal column in the neck and has 8 vertebre

T: Thoracic spinal column in the back and has 12 vertebra

L: Lumbar spinal column and has 5 vertebra

S: Sacral spinal column and i'm not sure if there are 4 or 5 vertebra.

Complete: No rectal sensation or function and completely paralyzed
from the point of injury, down.

Incomplete: Some or full sensation/function below the point of injury.

roxxxy8183 · 05-07-2006, 10:42 PM

Thank--you soooo much!!!!!

JGNI · 05-07-2006, 10:54 PM

T is for Thoracic and C for cervical and it refers to the level of injury (see attached image). To make things very simple (maybe too much), "usually" (but not always and not perfectly) where the injury occured correlates quite well with what level of function is left, so if you broke your neck at C5, you are often left with a function level of C5, meaning things that are innervated before or at C5 (ex. biceps to flex your arms) will still work but not what is innervated lower than that (ex. triceps to extend your arms).

When talking about complete or not, people refer to the fact that everything under the level of injury does not function anymore (complete) or that some things still function (incomplete). You can be motor complete, meaning no voluntary movement under the injury level or motor incomplete so that a C5 injured person would still be able to walk a bit as an example. It can also refer to sensation, meaning that even though someone can be motor complete, this same person could still be able to feel sensations below the level of injury and so on with all possible combinations of motor or sensory complete or incomplete.

In brief, most of the time it is better to have a lower level of injury (T is better than C) and to be incomplete so that you keep more of what you had before the injury.

Was it clear? Hope so.

Ooops, I was late in my reply, poor quads, we don't type fast enough.

2jazzyjeff · 05-07-2006, 10:59 PM

roxxy, baron doesn't know enough about this to inform you on it?

Jadis · 05-07-2006, 11:09 PM

maybe she wants to learn on her own without playing 20 questions with him? That's what boog did when I got hurt, he had so many questions and didn't want to ask me or had trouble asking (it was a rough time). He ended up reading a lot of info online=including this forum.

barondidit · 05-07-2006, 11:12 PM

of course i do...i have followed this sight like the freakin bible...she is just investigating on her own.....which shows me she cares.....i have told her alot...but.....its alot to take in at once ya know

05-07-2006, 10:18 PM	#1
roxxxy8183 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ft Myers, FL Posts: 9	What is the difference? Can someone please explain to me the difference between complete and incomplete and why some are "T" and some are "C", and the meaning is one worse off than the other?? im trying to learn as much as i can...my b/f is T-10 complete, and im just curious...thank-you

05-07-2006, 10:37 PM	#2
CurlieQCarrie Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,430	C = cerival, which means that the injury has occured in the neck. T = thorasic, the back. The lower the injury, the more the function. There are threads that deal with complete and incompletes--I'm no expert on explaining that. I'll try to find a link and post it for you. __________________ If there is light it will find you --Charles Bukowski

05-07-2006, 10:39 PM	#4
CurlieQCarrie Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,430	Yeah--that's (^up there^) what I was looking for. Good luck. __________________ If there is light it will find you --Charles Bukowski

05-07-2006, 10:54 PM	#7
JGNI Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 1,223	T is for Thoracic and C for cervical and it refers to the level of injury (see attached image). To make things very simple (maybe too much), "usually" (but not always and not perfectly) where the injury occured correlates quite well with what level of function is left, so if you broke your neck at C5, you are often left with a function level of C5, meaning things that are innervated before or at C5 (ex. biceps to flex your arms) will still work but not what is innervated lower than that (ex. triceps to extend your arms). When talking about complete or not, people refer to the fact that everything under the level of injury does not function anymore (complete) or that some things still function (incomplete). You can be motor complete, meaning no voluntary movement under the injury level or motor incomplete so that a C5 injured person would still be able to walk a bit as an example. It can also refer to sensation, meaning that even though someone can be motor complete, this same person could still be able to feel sensations below the level of injury and so on with all possible combinations of motor or sensory complete or incomplete. In brief, most of the time it is better to have a lower level of injury (T is better than C) and to be incomplete so that you keep more of what you had before the injury. Was it clear? Hope so. Ooops, I was late in my reply, poor quads, we don't type fast enough. Attached Images __________________ Pharmacist, C4-5 injury but functional C6 (no triceps/flexors) Last edited by JGNI; 05-07-2006 at 10:57 PM.

05-07-2006, 10:59 PM	#8
2jazzyjeff Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 9,598	roxxy, baron doesn't know enough about this to inform you on it? __________________ Life isn't like a bowl of cherries or peaches. It's more like a jar of jalapenos--What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow. If you ain't laughing, you ain't living, baby. Carlos Mencia

05-07-2006, 10:39 PM	#3
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 41,333	Read this article by Dr. Young: Spinal Cord Injury Levels and Classification (KLD)

05-07-2006, 10:41 PM	#5
Buck503 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: PNW Posts: 6,293	C: Cervical spinal column in the neck and has 8 vertebre T: Thoracic spinal column in the back and has 12 vertebra L: Lumbar spinal column and has 5 vertebra S: Sacral spinal column and i'm not sure if there are 4 or 5 vertebra. Complete: No rectal sensation or function and completely paralyzed from the point of injury, down. Incomplete: Some or full sensation/function below the point of injury.

05-07-2006, 10:42 PM	#6
roxxxy8183 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ft Myers, FL Posts: 9	Thank--you soooo much!!!!!

05-07-2006, 11:09 PM	#9
Jadis Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Salish Mtns, Montana Posts: 3,014	maybe she wants to learn on her own without playing 20 questions with him? That's what boog did when I got hurt, he had so many questions and didn't want to ask me or had trouble asking (it was a rough time). He ended up reading a lot of info online=including this forum. __________________ http://official-linerider.com/index.html

05-07-2006, 11:12 PM	#10
barondidit Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: No.Fl. Posts: 584	of course i do...i have followed this sight like the freakin bible...she is just investigating on her own.....which shows me she cares.....i have told her alot...but.....its alot to take in at once ya know

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