Spinal Cord Injury Information Page: National Institute of …
Posted: May 19, 2015 at 11:42 pm
A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. Most injuries to the spinal cord don't completely sever it. Instead, an injury is more likely to cause fractures and compression of the vertebrae, which then crush and destroy axons -- extensions of nerve cells that carry signals up and down the spinal cord between the brain and the rest of the body. An injury to the spinal cord can damage a few, many, or almost all of these axons. Some injuries will allow almost complete recovery. Others will result in complete paralysis.
Improved emergency care for people with spinal cord injuries and aggressive treatment and rehabilitation can minimize damage to the nervous system and even restore limited abilities. Respiratory complications are often an indication of the severity of spinal cord injury About one-third of those with injury to the neck area will need help with breathing and require respiratory support. The steroid drug methylprednisolone appears to reduce the damage to nerve cells if it is given within the first 8 hours after injury. Rehabilitation programs combine physical therapies with skill-building activities and counseling to provide social and emotional support.Electrical simulation of nerves by neural prosthetic devices may restore specific functions, including bladder, breathing, cough, and arm or leg movements, though eligibility for use of these devices depends on the level and type of the spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injuries are classified as either complete or incomplete. An incomplete injury means that the ability of the spinal cord to convey messages to or from the brain is not completely lost. People with incomplete injuries retain some motor or sensory function below the injury. A complete injury is indicated by a total lack of sensory and motor function below the level of injury. People who survive a spinal cord injury will most likely have medical complications such as chronic pain and bladder and bowel dysfunction, along with an increased susceptibility to respiratory and heart problems. Successful recovery depends upon how well these chronic conditions are handled day to day.
Surgery to relieve compression of the spinal tissue by surrounding bones broken or dislocated by the injury is often necessary, through timing of such surgery may vary widely. A recent prospective multicenter trial called STASCIS is exploring whether performing decompression surgery early (less than 24 hours following injury) can improve outcomes for patients with bone fragments or other tissues pressing on the spinal cord.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts spinal cord research in its laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and also supports additional research through grants to major research institutions across the country. Advances in research are giving doctors and patients hope that repairing injured spinal cords is a reachable goal. Advances in basic research are also being matched by progress in clinical research, especially in understanding the kinds of physical rehabilitation that work best to restore function. Some of the more promising rehabilitation techniques are helping spinal cord injury patients become more mobile.
Follow this link:
Spinal Cord Injury Information Page: National Institute of ...
- Spinal Cord Injury Facts & Statistics - sci-info-pages.com - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal Cord Injury - Spinal Cord Injury - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal Cord Injury - Conditions - For Patients ... - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal cord injury | girlshealth.gov - May 7th, 2016
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury - May 7th, 2016
- Home - Spinal Cord Injury BC - May 7th, 2016
- International Center for Spinal Cord Injury | Kennedy ... - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Aftermath and Diagnosis - May 7th, 2016
- Learn About Spinal Cord Injuries | Spine Injury Information - May 7th, 2016
- Your spine Spinal Life Australia - May 7th, 2016
- Rehabilitation in spinal cord injury - Wikipedia, the free ... - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal cord injury - Reeve Foundation - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal Cord Injury: Conditions & Diagnoses | UCLA Spine Center - May 7th, 2016
- Stem Cell Therapy || Spinal Cord Injury || Stem Cell ... - May 7th, 2016
- Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries :: New York Brain Injury ... - May 7th, 2016
- Spinal Cord Injury Fact Sheet | California's Stem Cell Agency - October 29th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Department of Neurosurgery University - October 29th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury | BrainAndSpinalCord.org - October 27th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury | Boston Children's Hospital - October 27th, 2015
- Spinal cord injury Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments and Causes ... - October 27th, 2015
- About | United Spinal Resource Center - October 27th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injuries - UC San Diego Health - October 27th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury - DMC RIM Rehab - October 27th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Types & Treatment News ... - October 20th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Memoir: Amazon.com - October 9th, 2015
- Researchers compare direct gene vs. blood cell-mediated ... - October 9th, 2015
- Neuro-Spinal Scaffold for Repair of Spinal Cord Injuries ... - September 26th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury and Pain - WebMD - September 26th, 2015
- Taunton doctor plans Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day at ... - September 7th, 2015
- What Is Spinal Cord Trauma? - Spinal Cord Injury ... - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation | BrainAndSpinalCord.org - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury - Spinal Cord Injury - Paralysis Resource ... - September 7th, 2015
- CDC - Publications - Injuries - Spinal Cord - HRQOL - September 7th, 2015
- spinal cord injury - The New York Times - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury: Treatments and Rehabilitation Symptoms ... - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Center - Treatments, Research ... - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injuries | Quadriplegic | Stem Cells | Stem Cell ... - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury - Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago - September 7th, 2015
- Causes of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) - Causes of spinal cord ... - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury - Medical Disability Guidelines - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Network - Spinal Cord Injury - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Levels & Classification - September 7th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Information - Paralyzed Veterans of America - August 23rd, 2015
- What is a Spinal Cord Injury? - Apparelyzed - August 23rd, 2015
- Spinal cord injury Symptoms - Mayo Clinic - July 22nd, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury | Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library - July 22nd, 2015
- Living With a Spinal Cord Injury-Topic Overview - July 22nd, 2015
- AANS - Spinal Cord Injury - July 13th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Information Pages - July 13th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury: Read About the Levels - MedicineNet - June 1st, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury: Signs, Causes & Prevention - June 1st, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Zone - May 28th, 2015
- Spinal cord trauma: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - May 23rd, 2015
- Spinal cord injury - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - May 19th, 2015
- Spinal cord - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - May 19th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Support - Paraplegic and Quadriplegic - May 19th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury: Hope Through Research: National ... - May 19th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Treatment - Neuroxcel - May 19th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injuries Causes and Types - WebMD - May 19th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Spotlight - Julia O. at Project Walk San Francisco - Video - May 5th, 2015
- Wings for Life World Run 2015 - Event Clip - Video - May 5th, 2015
- Gong Chen research - spinal cord injury - Video - May 4th, 2015
- Chris Chappell SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) - Video - May 4th, 2015
- Spinal cord Injury The End of my Career-07/22/14 0906 am - Video - May 4th, 2015
- OT Lab Final: Spinal Cord Injury - Video - May 1st, 2015
- UVA: Tissue Engineering Advances Hold Promise - Video - May 1st, 2015
- Baltimore's State Attorney: Gray Death a Homicide - Video - May 1st, 2015
- LAB FINAL: Spinal Cord Injury - Video - May 1st, 2015
- Should 'thug' be considered a racial slur? - Video - May 1st, 2015
- "Is The Caliph Dead" ? What Happens To ISIS? - Video - April 29th, 2015
- Freddie Gray's Funeral & Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Condones Riots by Offering Space - Video - April 28th, 2015
- Dont Tell Me I Cant: Disability in a Modern World | Cheryl Stowe | TEDxFurmanU - Video - April 28th, 2015
- Do Baltimore police have a 'rough ride' history? - Video - April 27th, 2015
- Spinal Cord Injury Spotlight - Alexandria T. at Project Walk Boston - Video - April 27th, 2015
- Protestors March, Demand Info In Freddie Gray Death - Video - April 27th, 2015
- Mortal Kombat X Review: More Fun Than a Spinal Cord Injury | Bucket Hat Aficionado - Video - April 25th, 2015
- Baltimore Cops Murdered Freddie Gray By Severing 80% Of His Spinal Cord During Arrest - Video - April 25th, 2015
- NeilSachseFoundation Road Safety - Video - April 24th, 2015
- Baltimore Mayor Faces Questions After Suspect's Death | NBC Nightly News - Video - April 24th, 2015
- Life reclaimed from spinal cord injury - Video - April 24th, 2015