A spinal cord injury is one of the most serious injuries that a person can experience. A severe spinal cord injury leads to significant physical, psychological and financial hardships.
Those who experience spinal cord injuries tend to be single, younger, and male. According to the NSCIA, most spinal cord injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30. Males experience spinal cord injuries at a significantly greater frequency than females (4:1) and the most frequent age of injury occurs around age 19. More than 250,000 Americans live with disabilities related to spinal cord injury (SCI). Each year an additional 11,000 people are admitted to hospitals for a spinal injury. Can any of these spinal injuries be "fixed" or significantly repaired?
Immediate Care
The drug methylprednisolone should be given to anyone with a spinal cord injury within eight hours of the injury. This can improve function recovery by as much as 20 percent, and in some cases more. Methylprednisolone should not be used at all if it's not started within eight hours of the injury.
If the spinal cord is compressed, decompression should begin as soon as possible. Spinal cord function can be improved for up to two years or longer.
Establishing breathing and circulation must be done immediately to keep the injured person alive. In severe injury cases, this needs to be done by mechanical means. A ventilator is often needed to maintain breathing, and a catheter is needed to drain the bladder.
Physical Therapy
Muscle, bone, skin, and nerve pathways can atrophy after SCI if therapy/rehabilitation is not begun. Physical manipulation, supported weight bearing, electrical stimulation, or a combination of these might be used. The longer a part of the body is not exercised or stressed, the more likely it will permanently lose function.
Medications
A variety of medications are used to treat aspects of SCI. Some are given early on, others are for the long term, and still others are used in combinations to achieve the best possible results for immediate or long-term functioning.
Numerous functions are affected by a spinal injury, and the various medications used must be carefully monitored by a medical team.
- Anticoagulation drugs might be needed to keep clots from forming in the legs and migrating to the lungs. It is also possible to put a filter in the large vein going into the heart to catch clots.
- A drug called 4-aminopyridine can increase the stimulation to damaged nerves more than a year after the damage has occurred.
- Several drugs are available to reduce muscle spasms and other uncontrolled muscle activity.
- Pain sensations in areas that are paralyzed are common. This is similar to "phantom limb pain" experienced by amputees when a limb has been amputated. Some antidepressant and anti-epileptic drugs have been used to reduce this "pain."
Prognosis
With spinal cord injuries, some recovery is the rule, not the exception. That can mean small improvements over years of work or, in some situations, even significant improvements.
- Segmental Recovery. Most patients recover sensation in one or two segments below the injury site over time and with proper treatment.
- Postural reflexes often improve months or even years after an injury.
- Walking quads and paras. A majority of people with "incomplete" spinal cord injuries will recover some ability to walk. Up to 60 percent of all spinal injuries are of this type.
Remember...
In general, a severe spinal cord injury cannot be cured. But a spinal cord injury can often be prevented. Here are some of the basics, according to the NSCIA, that can help prevent a spinal cord injury:
- You've heard it before, now take it seriously: Wear a seatbelt.
- Never drink and drive. And don't get in a car if the driver has been drinking.
- Wear a helmet when you're doing activities that recommend helmets, such as riding a motorcycle, bicycle riding, roller blading, and skateboarding.
- Never dive into shallow water or into water for which the depths or contents are unknown.
- Be particularly vigilant about safety issues, such as when horseback riding, jumping on a trampoline, or skiing.
Be safe rather than sorry. Do what you can to help prevent a spinal cord injury and educate others about how they can prevent such an injury.
And for those injured, there is hope. Genetic research is looking into ways to regenerate damaged nerve cells. New methods and drugs are being tried and accepted on a regular basis. Regeneration of parts of the spinal cord can happen.
For More Information:
National Spinal Cord Injury Association. http://www.spinalcord.org/.
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. http://www.christopherreeve.org/ index.cfm. |
