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Autonomic Dysfunction

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Management and Rehabilitation of Spinal Cord Injuries

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Abstract

The autonomic nervous system involves internal homeostasis or balance of the body and regulates various involuntary functions. The system regulates circulation, bowel function, urogenital system, temperature control, and sweating. If normal autonomic control is disrupted, the local sign of the reflexes is lost and mass reflexes appear. Spinal cord injury impairs autonomic nervous system, motor function, and sensory function. A dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system is associated with clinical findings of autonomic dysreflexia such as severe hypertension and headache. People with spinal cord injuries may have other presentations of autonomic dysfunction such as baseline hypotension, orthostatic hypotension, disturbance of temperature regulation, decreased sweating, and so on.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rehabilitation Hospital, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea

    Hyun-Yoon Ko MD, PhD

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  1. Hyun-Yoon Ko MD, PhD
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© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Ko, HY. (2019). Autonomic Dysfunction. In: Management and Rehabilitation of Spinal Cord Injuries. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7033-4_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7033-4_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-7032-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-7033-4

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