WHAT IS THE SPINAL CORD?
The spinal cord is formed by a collection of nerves that travels from the bottom of the brain down your back. Thirty-one pairs of nerves. Peripheral nerves arising at the spinal cord and go to the arms, legs, chest, and abdomen as peripheral nerves. The command from the brain travels via these nerves to the muscles and organs of the body. These nerves are distributed to various parts of the body. The nerves that go to muscle control the movement. Those supply the organs control the organs such as the lungs and intestine.
The spinal cord is situated within the spinal canal, surrounded by bones that make up your backbone. The vertebrae are divided into seven channels (cervical) vertebrae, 12 chest (thoracic) vertebrae, and five lower back (lumbar) vertebrae. The spinal cord is protected by vertebral.
WHAT IS A SPINAL CORD INJURY?
The spinal cord is a susceptible structure and prone to injury. If the Spinal cord is damaged, it cannot get repair by itself. The spinal cord may get damaged by trauma, infection, tumor, or loss of blood supply. Injury to the spinal cord may be complete or incomplete. In case of complete injury, there is a total loss of sensation and muscle function in the body below the level of the damage. In case of incomplete injury, parts remain intact below the injury level, depending on the extent of the damage.
Spinal cord injury may result from traumatic injuries, such as a motor vehicle accident, violence, a fall, or diseases such as a tumor or virus. Most injuries occur from a traumatic event. According to the literature, most of these injuries occur in men.
A person with SCI typically has some paralysis and decreased or loss of sensation below the level of injury. Depending on the severity of a person's spinal cord injury, an occupational therapist can provide treatment in a hospital, clinic, or home that allows the person to become as independent as possible. With proper treatment, thousands of people with SCI have continued to lead happy and productive lives.
HOW IS A SPINAL CORD INJURY TREATED?
The primary goal of spinal cord injury management is to relieve pressure from the spinal cord, which involves removing damaged or broken structures and fixed with a fixator.
Suppose the spinal cord is being squeezed by tumor, infection, or severe arthritis. Surgical intervention may be required to reduce the amount of compression.
The second primary goal of surgery for spinal cord injury is to stabilize the spine. Suppose the vertebrae are weakened from fracture, tumor, or infection. Surgical intervention is performed to protect the spinal cord. It is done with a combination of metal screws, rods, and plates fixation to hold the vertebrae together in place and stabilize them until the bones heal.
EFFECTS OF SPINAL COR INJURY
Spinal cord injury results in many potential complications like bowel dysfunctions, urinary tract infections, pressure sores, pneumonia, muscle spasms, chronic pain, and Depression. These complications require specific treatment
HOW WE TREAT SCI
Most of the treatment focuses on rehabilitation after the initial treatment and stabilization of patients with a spinal cord injury. Treatment methods include helping the patient maximize their function through physical and occupational therapy and assistive devices.
A spinal cord injury can be managed in two phases 1. Acute phase and 2. Rehabilitation phase.
The Acute Phase
In the acute phase, the patient must receive prompt medical care. The faster the patient has access to treatment, the better their chances of least impairment. In most cases, the injured patients are sent to the closest hospital or center equipped to deal with spinal cord injuries.
The first few days during the acute stage, they were accompanied by a condition called spinal shock. In spinal shock, all reflexes are lost. Therefore it is very challenging to determine the exact prognosis, as some functions beyond the actual level of injury are also may impaired or lost. There may be other associated complications that persist due to accident or injury at this stage, for example, injury to the brain, fractured bones, or bruising damage.
The Rehabilitation Phase
When the acute phase is over, and the patient has been stabilized, they enter the rehabilitation phase. The primary during the rehabilitation phase is to restore function as much as possible because every patient with spinal cord injuries is different, our expert spinal cord injury treatment design customized plans to help the patients function and succeed in everyday life.
The Rehabilitation phase program includes:
- Helping the patient understand about their injuries
- Helping the patient understand the details regarding self-care
- Assisting the patients to become as independent as possible in everyday activities of daily living, such as bathing independently, eating independently, dressing alone, grooming independently, and using a wheelchair.
- Helping the patient to learn and accept a new lifestyle is an essential component of rehabilitation.
WHAT CAN PERSONS WITH SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES DO?
- Get involved in the rehabilitation process. A person with a spinal cord injury and their family members should be active participants in their recovery and rehabilitation.
- Choose health care providers who specialize in spinal cord injury care.
- Family members and caregivers should identify any changes in roles a patient may experience due to injury.
- Family members, caregivers, and patients themselves should facilitate coping skills that could help overcome the effects of an injury.
- Patients with spinal cord injury must follow exercises and routines that strengthen muscles that may have been affected that are necessary for daily activities, such as dressing, eating, and taking care of a home.
At APARC Centre for Neurorehabilitation, spine, stroke, and paralysis care with an inpatient residential rehabilitation facility, we provide the best spinal cord injury rehabilitation facility in India with inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Please visit www.aparcneuroandspinecare.com or call our spinal cord injury expert at +919871576849