What is the difference between a complete and incomplete spinal cord injury?

The level of severance of a spinal cord determines the completeness of the injury. An incomplete spinal cord injury is one in which there is a partial severance of the spinal cord, and victims usually retain function below the affected area, while a complete spinal cord injury involves a complete severing of the spinal cord with the victim losing all feeling and ability to control movement below the affected area. Typical kinds of incomplete spinal cord injuries include anterior cord syndrome, Brown-Sequard syndrome, and central cord syndrome. Complete spinal cord injuries may include tetraplegia or quadriplegia (paralysis of all limbs), paraplegia (paralysis of the legs and the lower half of the body), monoplegia (paralysis of one arm or one leg), triplegia (paralysis of one arm and both legs), or hemiplegia (paralysis of one arm and one leg on the same side of the body).