TCRN Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Prep for Your Test

The scenario describes a patient who has fallen from a significant height and landed on their buttocks, which raises the suspicion of injury to the spinal column, particularly at the lower lumbar or sacral regions. This type of injury is most consistent with cauda equina syndrome.

Cauda equina syndrome occurs when there is damage to the cauda equina, a bundle of nerves at the lower end of the spinal cord. It can result from trauma, such as falls, and is characterized by a set of specific clinical features including lower back pain, loss of sensation in the buttocks and inner thighs, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and weakness in the legs. The mechanism of injury described aligns with the typical presentation of this syndrome, as impact to the lower spine can lead to significant nerve compression or damage.

Other conditions listed involve different parts of the spinal cord and their corresponding syndromes. For instance, posterior cord syndrome primarily presents with loss of proprioception and vibration sense, while anterior cord syndrome involves motor paralysis and loss of pain and temperature sensation. Brown-Sequard syndrome results from hemisection of the spinal cord, resulting in ipsilateral motor loss and contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation, which does not align with the expected presentation after a