Autonomic dysreflexia is a dangerous syndrome in which the blood pressure of a person with an SCI suddenly goes very high. It is your body's over-reaction to physical stress below your spinal cord injury. It happens when your body can't restore your blood pressure to normal because of your spinal cord damage.

Autonomic dysreflexia has many symptoms. The most common are a headache and a flushed face with red skin. Some people sweat above the level of the spinal cord injury. And some people have nausea or get a stuffy nose.

The most important thing to do first is try to fix the physical stress. You might need to drain your bladder, for example. You will need emergency care if you don't get better in a few minutes.