Spinal Cord Injury

A Spinal Cord Injury generally refers to a damage that occurs to any part of the spinal cord. Spinal cord structure constitutes bundles of nerves and cells that help in receiving and sending messages from and to the brain and thus control the functions of the body.Spinal cord injury can be classified into the following categories depending upon the site and severity of the injury.

Symptoms

Depending upon the severity of the injury it can be classified into the following groups-

1.Complete Injury - The spinal cord injury is said to be complete if all the senory and motor functions are lost.

2.Incomplete Injury - The spinal cord injury is said to be incomplete if you lose some of the sensory and motor functions.

Paralysis can also occur due to the spinal cord injury-

1.Tetraplegia - This type of paralysis is also known as quadriplagia. This type of paralysis affects the arms, hands, legs, trunk and pelvic organs.

2.Paraplegia - In this type of paralysis trunk, legs and pelvic organs are affected.

Other symptoms -

1.Lack of movement

2.Lack of sensation

3.Pain in the back or feeling of extreme pressure in the head or neck.

4.Lack of control over bowel movement.

5.Problem in breathing.

6. Tingling sensation in hands, feet, fingers and toes.

7.Problem in walking or balancing the body.

Causes

1.Due to a fracture or dislocation of the vertebrae.

2.Due to a gun shot through the spine.

3.Due to a blow caused by a knife through the spine.

4.Due to bleeding, inflammation or accumulation of fluid around the spinal cord.

5.Due to cancer or arthritis.

6.Due to a fall generally after the age of 60.

First aid or help-

1.Don't move the injured person. Keep him in rest position to avoid complications.

2.Give the person general basic aid to stop bleeding without moving the person.

3.Call the emergency help number as soon as possible.

Diagnosis-

1.X-Rays - Doctors may ask for an x-ray to diagnose a fracture or tumor in the spine.

2.CT-Scan - A CT- scan is performed to develop a clear image of the problems that appear in the x-ray.

3.MRI - In MRI, strong radio and magnetic waves are used to produce computer generated images. It helps to locate blood clots or other masses due to which spinal cord is compressed.

Treatment -

Unfortunately if a person suffers from a spinal cord injury, there is no way with which the damage can be reversed. The patient is generally admitted to an intensive care unit to prevent further injury and help so that he or she may be able to manage the daily life activities. Generally after admitting to the ICU, the patient is given the following medical treatment-

1.The spinal cord and the neck of the patient are stabilized with the help of a traction. Neck collars and braces are used.

2.Surgery is performed to remove the fractured vertebrae or foreign objects that compress the spinal cord and also to provide stabilization to the spine.

3.After providing this treatment, doctors provide further treatment to control respiratory problems, bowel problems, blood clotting and muscle contractions.

4.Then the patient is provided with certain therapies to regain and strengthen muscle function and adapt many ways to adjust with day to day life.

5.The patient is introduced with many types of facilities these days which can help in leading a comfortable life. Such as electric wheelchairs that can help even in climbing stairs and move on rough surfaces without any help or support. People with spinal cord injury can stand ,walk and move with the help of functional electrical stimulation systems that use electric stimulators to control the muscles of arms and legs.

Hope this article about Spinal Cord Injury would be useful to you.You can practice this topic by using Worksheets for Science related to this topic.If you want any article on any topic , please comment below.

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