What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
Damage to the nerves in the spinal cord or the spinal cord itself due to sudden trauma.
Statistics:
According to the Miami Project, 78% of new diagnosed spinal cord injuries are males and 22% are females. Currently the amount of individuals diagnosed with a spinal cord injury in the U.S. is ranged from 250,000 to 300,000 persons (Statistics: The Miami Project, 2021)
This photo shows how the spinal cord is set up as well as what each area of the spinal cord has control of (Oxford Medical Education, 2016)
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
- Incomplete: messages are still able to travel to and from the brain to a certain degree.
- Complete: messages are unable to travel to in and from the brain.
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022)
Symptoms:
- Paralysis (Loss of movement)
- Pressure/Pain in the neck, spine or head
- Numbness starting in the hands or feet
- Difficulties walking or breathing
Types of Treatment
Read stories of individuals living with this diagnosis below
References
Bloomberg Originals. (2020, January 6). This accidental treatment is reversing paralysis. YouTube. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://youtu.be/KCpYa8DsUhA
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Types, effects, & recovery. Flint Rehab. (2022, July 6). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.flintrehab.com/incomplete-spinal-cord-injury/
Lennon, A. (2022, May 20). Drug shows promise in treating spinal cord injury: Drug Discovery and Development. Labroots. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.labroots.com/trending/drug-discovery-and-development/22795/drug-promise-treating-spinal-cord-injury?gclid=CjwKCAiA0cyfBhBREiwAAtStHH93jJDpR_03KKDGLocrGK6tR-_OuQtjw2_1gQXsR1ajeJJ7Ghvw1hoCrwgQAvD_BwE
Medications for spinal cord injury: What doctors may prescribe. Flint Rehab. (2021, April 23). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.flintrehab.com/medications-for-spinal-cord-injury/
Northwestern University. (2021, November 11). Severe spinal cord injuries repaired with ‘dancing molecules’. YouTube. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://youtu.be/Q_xvCE904YU
Oxford Medical Education. (2016). Spinal trauma – anatomy. Oxford Medical Education. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://oxfordmedicaleducation.com/surgery/trauma-and-orthopaedics/spinal-trauma-anatomy/
Occupational therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. Flint Rehab. (2021, July 14). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.flintrehab.com/occupational-therapy-for-spinal-cord-injury/#:~:text=Occupational%20therapy%20applies%20both%20restorative,affected%20by%20spinal%20cord%20injury.
Statistics. The Miami Project. (2021, March 17). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.themiamiproject.org/resources/statistics/#:~:text=General%20Statistics,78%25%20of%20new%20SCI%20cases.
Therapeutic interventions for Spinal Cord Injury. Physiopedia. (2022). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.physio-pedia.com/Therapeutic_Interventions_for_Spinal_Cord_Injury
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Spinal Cord Injury. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/spinal-cord-injury