The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient with Flaccid Paralysis

Multiple Choice

The nurse is caring for a patient with flaccid paralysis after sustaining a spinal cord injury 3 days earlier.The family excitedly notifies the nurse that the patient has flexed his arm.Which response is best for the nurse to make?

A) "I will give the doctor this wonderful news."
B) "Avoid directly touching the arm muscles so that you don't cause more muscle spasms."
C) "This movement means that the spinal cord is adjusting to the injury."
D) "These muscles spasms are a type of involuntary movement that happens frequently in patients with spinal cord injuries."