In patients with spinal injuries, which symptom might you expect to see?

In patients with spinal injuries, one of the primary symptoms you might expect to see is paresis or weakness. This occurs because spinal cord injuries can disrupt the neural pathways that control muscle function, leading to varying degrees of muscle weakness or paralysis depending on the severity and location of the injury. The spinal cord is responsible for transmitting signals between the brain and the body, and any damage can impair movement and sensation below the site of injury, making paresis a common clinical manifestation.

The other options, while they may present in different contexts, are less specific to spinal injuries. Increased respiratory rate can occur due to many factors, including pain or anxiety, but it is not a direct symptom of the injury itself. High fever is more indicative of infection rather than spinal injury and does not typically arise solely from trauma. Similarly, constipation is often related to other issues such as immobility or medications rather than being a direct symptom of spinal cord damage. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify why paresis or weakness is recognized as a hallmark symptom of spinal injuries.