Paraplegia in women.

In the period 1965-80, 125 women were treated because of paralysis or paresis of the lower extremities resulting from spinal trauma. In this report the causes of trauma, as well as the clinical and functional treatment of this group are discussed. The most frequent causes of trauma were falls from heights, from a tree, a ladder, a horse-cart as well as suicidal jumps and road accidents. It was ascertained that the results of treatment of spinal cord injuries in the upper thoracic segment are worse than in its lower part. These results do not differ from men with similar degrees and neurological levels of spinal cord injury. On the other hand the duration of treatment is longer in women than in men with the same degree of spinal cord lesion, amounting on the average to 17.4 weeks.