Which of the following symptoms is common in high cervical spinal cord injuries?

In high cervical spinal cord injuries, which typically involve the spinal segments C1 to C4, the control of breathing muscles can be severely compromised. This occurs because the phrenic nerve, which arises from spinal nerves C3 to C5, innervates the diaphragm, the primary muscle responsible for breathing.

Injuries at this level can disrupt the signals that manage the diaphragm's movement, leading to breathing difficulties as the patient may struggle to breathe without assistance. The neurological involvement at higher cervical levels directly affects respiratory function, making difficulties in breathing one of the most critical and immediate concerns in such injuries.

While loss of bowel control, difficulty walking, and loss of sensation in the legs can occur, they are more associated with injuries lower in the cervical spine or in the thoracic region. Thus, breathing difficulties distinctly characterize high cervical spinal cord injuries.