Graphical representation of neuromuscular function in spinal cord injury

Accurate determination of the location and extent of a spinal cord leson is essential to the ongoing therapeutic plans for a patient as well as for overall program evaluation in a spinal cord center. The interpretation of muscle function tests performed for this purpose is often complex due to the large number of muscles innervated in part by a single segment of the cord and the overlapping pattern of innervation. The aggregation of the individual muscle ratings by spinal cord root segment and graphic presentation of this information provides a convenient means to gain an overview of muscle function and follow changes in the cord lesion over time through serial test results. Two cases demonstrate some of the graphic patterns that result from complete and incomplete lesions from shortly after injury with both receding and advancing involvement of the cord demonstrated.