Which of the following signs indicates that spinal shock is still present after a spinal cord injury?

The correct option is c.

Spinal shock is a temporary condition that occurs immediately after a spinal cord injury. It is characterized by a complete loss of all motor, sensory, and reflex activity below the level of the injury. This results in flaccid paralysis, where muscles are limp and without tone, and areflexia (absence of reflexes). As spinal shock resolves, reflexes typically return, often becoming hyperreflexic.

• a. Positive reflexes and b. Hyperreflexia indicate the resolution of spinal shock, not its persistence. Hyperreflexia is a sign of upper motor neuron damage that appears after the initial spinal shock phase.
• c. Flaccid paralysis is a key sign that spinal shock is still present.

The observation that indicates spinal shock persists is c) Flaccid paralysis.