Apr
I wanted to know what type of SCI can cause sexual dysfunction. Is it usually from a direct impact to the vertebral column (C1-C7/T1-T12/L1-L5/Sacrum/Coccyx)? Can it be also be from a stretch that could have caused compressions, over extensions, awkward horizontal and vertical torques?
My incident happened at the gym. I was on a rowing machine and strapped my feet in. When I was either leaning or reaching forward in a unconvincing attempt to grab the handlebar that had been left up, a large guy rowing on my left without warning gave me a sudden push forward on the middle of my back and I felt about two crackles to the posterior left of my lower back in the hip line area, but no pain at the time. I didn’t feel anything the next two or three days either. That’s as far as I’ll go for now if you can give me an thought on what you think happened. I'm currently waiting to see a doctor, please answer if you’ve knowledge in this field. Thank you.
Answer:
Yes, a spinal cord injury can affect sexual function, but you already know that.
If this is the only symptom, you can pretty well rule out any problems in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar region.
The concern would be a compression fracture in the lower sacral sections - maybe S3 or below.
There are things that can be done - but you’ve to have a doctor do a work-up, the sooner the superior. Each SCI is different. Your situation might be textbook, or unique to the point where there are few parallels to other people's experiences.