The spinal cord transmits information between the brain and the remainder of the body. It is surrounded and protected by the meninges and a column of vertebrae (spinal bones). The majority of spinal cord injuries are caused by a violent hit to the vertebrae. The fractured bones then cause harm to the spinal cord and its nerves. In extremely rare instances, an injury might totally sever the spinal cord.
Spinal cord injury refers to damage to the spinal cord caused by trauma, disease, or degeneration. There is no credible assessment of the global prevalence, although the global incidence is believed to be between 40 and 80 cases per million population year. Up to 90% of these instances are attributed to traumatic causes, however the fraction of non-traumatic spinal cord injuries appears to be increasing.
The symptoms of a spinal cord injury are dependent on the severity and location of the injury. Symptoms could include partial or complete loss of sensory function or motor control of the arms, legs, and/or body. The systems that regulate bowel or bladder control, respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure are affected by the most severe spinal cord injury. Most individuals with spinal cord injuries suffer from persistent pain.
2 Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can be complete or incomplete (partial):
1. Complete
Full damage results in complete paralysis (loss of function) below the injured area. It affects the body on both sides. A total injury may result in quadriplegia or paralysis of the bottom half of the body (paraplegia).
2. Incomplete (Partial)
After an incomplete injury, one or both sides of the body retain some function. The body and brain are still able to communicate via selected routes.
SCI Diagnosis
In an emergency, a medical professional ensures that spinal cord damage does not influence the patient's breathing or heart rate. Next, they will evaluate the health of the nerves. They check:
· Motor function, or your capacity to move different portions of the body.
· Sensory function, or the capacity to perceive touch.
Several imaging tests can assist in the diagnosis of a spinal cord injury:
· CT scan to detect fractures, blood clots, and blood vessel damage.
· MRI for seeing the spinal cord or soft tissues
· X-ray, to detect fractures or dislocations (bones knocked out of place).
A healthcare provider may also utilize an electromyogram (EMG) to assess electrical activity in muscles and nerve cells if a peripheral nerve injury is concurrent. (EMG is typically not required for spinal cord injuries.)
SCI Awareness Month
National Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month is in September. With over 17,000 new spinal cord injuries occurring annually in the United States, there is an urgent need to raise awareness about the severity of these injuries and to continue research to help discover a solution.
Sustaining an SCI is a painful experience for the individual, as well as for their family, friends, and community. This month-long campaign is an opportunity to emphasize all the key information about living with a spinal cord injury and to offer assistance to individuals afflicted by an SCI.
As with most other awareness campaigns and initiatives, spinal cord injury awareness has its own distinct ribbon color. The ribbon for spinal cord injuries is lime green.
Percentage of Football Players Experiencing the Injury
American football is a popular pastime in the United States. It influences both adults and children, with youngsters as young as 5 playing in "pee-wee" leagues. As a result, it is important to recognize the dangers that players take for their love of the sport.
The sport's inherent danger is not a secret. Even with protective equipment such as helmets, elbow and knee pads, and shoulder pads, the sport of tackling still causes career-ending and life-threatening spinal cord injuries (SCI) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) impact players of all ages, including minors, college students, and adults. 24 high school athletes and 4 college athletes died from similar injuries between 2005 and 2014, and "the majority of deaths occurred during contests and were the result of tackling or being tackled."
While vehicle accidents are the major cause of spinal cord injuries, physical activities and sports account for 10% of all recorded SCIs. These types of injuries are more prevalent among 16- to 30-year-old males. More than 50% of catastrophic injuries sustained by athletes are cervical spine injuries, with the largest incidences occurring in football and rugby players. In addition, 10 to 15 percent of all football players, particularly linemen and defensive players, suffer cervical spine injuries.
5 Treatments to Walk Again After an SCI
Due to the fact that every spinal cord injury and its recovery are different, a specific treatment strategy that emphasizes the capacity to walk again will be the most beneficial.
After sustaining a spinal cord injury, regaining the ability to walk may need a variety of therapy treatments.
1. Physical Therapy
After a spinal cord injury, physical therapy is the basis and beginning point for regaining the ability to walk. The stronger your commitment to physical treatment, the greater your likelihood of recovery.
In order to restore the ability to walk after SCI, the brain, spinal cord, and muscles must be retrained to act in unison through highly repetitive and task-specific movement. The more you practice, the stronger the neural pathways get and the more used you become to the movements.
Not only is it crucial to address leg strength and movement with a physical therapist early in the healing process due to the increased neuroplasticity of the spinal cord at that time, but also to prevent muscular atrophy in the legs caused by non-use.
2. Locomotor Training
Locomotor training is a form of physical therapy that focuses on teaching individuals with spinal cord injuries how to walk again.
It may require the use of assistive equipment such as weight-supporting treadmills, parallel bars, braces, walkers, and crutches to alleviate joint pressure or give additional support. It is effective due to its task-specificity and emphasis on repetition, two of the most important variables that promote neuroplasticity.
3. Electrical Stimulation
Epidural electrical stimulation is another method through which individuals recover the capacity to walk following spinal cord injury. The procedure entails implanting an electrode array onto the spinal column, which sends electrical currents below the damaged site.
Messages from the brain may no longer be able to pass through the location of an SCI, meaning that areas below the injury cannot receive messages. The electrical currents utilized in electrical stimulation imitate brain signals and assist in stimulating muscle action below the level of damage.
Using electrical stimulation, people with motor complete spinal cord injuries have regained the ability to move. This is conceivable due to the fact that epidural stimulation circumvents the damage.
4. Exoskeletons
Individuals with full spinal cord injuries may be able to stand and walk again because of technological advancements. With the assistance of a wearable robotic exoskeleton, walking can be facilitated through simple weight shifts. The exoskeleton's sensors will conduct the movement for you.
Exoskeletons are helpful for people who are otherwise unable to walk. It enables individuals to consistently bear weight, promotes circulation to the legs, and boosts their confidence.
5. Stem Cell Treatment
Stem cell therapies are one of the most promising treatments for recovering the ability to walk after a spinal cord injury. To encourage recovery, stem cells are implanted into the spinal cord in this procedure.
Stem cells are exciting and innovative because of their ability to divide infinitely and differentiate into various types of cells. However, just like electrical stimulation, stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury recovery is still a work in progress that requires further research and development.
Life Expectancy After SCI
Mortality is highest in the first year following injury and among patients with more severe injuries. Life expectancy depends on the degree of the injury, the location of the injury on the spine, and the patient's age. Life expectancy injury ranges from 1.5 years for a patient older than 60 who is reliant on a ventilator to 52.6 years for a patient aged 20 with retained motor function.
Blood clots and sepsis caused by pneumonia, urinary infections, or pressure ulcers are fatal complications of spinal cord injury.
The good news is that among patients who are not entirely paralyzed, 80 percent are able to stand for 12 months and 50 percent are able to walk out of the hospital by 12 months, with advances continuing for two years following injury.
REFERENCES:
www.flintrehab.com/walking-after-spinal-cord-injury/
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12098-spinal-cord-injury
www.spinalcord.com/blog/the-dangers-of-football-associated-with-spinal-cord-injuries