| |
Spinal Court Injuries
By Bridget B.
Spinal Court Injuries
Treatment in the days and weeks following a spinal cord injury
There are several types of treatment in the short term for a spinal
cord injury. First, the spine in the area of the injured spinal cord is
immobilized (held in place so it can't move) to prevent further
injury to the cord. For injuries to the neck, immobilizing the spine
may include placing the head in a €œhalo€ (a device that
prevents the head from moving). For spinal cord injuries in the
back, casts, braces and straps may be temporarily used to keep
the back from moving.
To reduce swelling in the spinal cord caused by injury, steroid
medication is usually given during the first 24 hours following
injury. Other medical treatment is often necessary, depending on
complications that may develop.
Because traumatic injury to the spinal cord usually involves an
injury to the bones and ligaments of the spine, surgery may be
performed. The aim of some surgeries is to remove bone (this is
called "decompression") that is pressing on or into the spinal cord.
A surgeon may also want to stabilize or realign the spine in the
area of the spinal cord injury when the vertebrae or ligaments
have been damaged.
Metal rods or cages and screws may be attached to normal
vertebrae to prevent movement of fractured vertebrae and the
vertebrae may be €œfused€ together using bone graft for the
same reason. Grafts, which involve the growth of new bone tissue
into adjacent bone, require time to €œtake€. Consequently,
metal €œhardware€ is usually needed to hold the spine in
place while the graft is taking. Stretching of the spine using
weights and pulleys (called traction) may also help with alignment
of the spine.
Rehabilitation Hospitals
Rehabilitation hospitals provide several different types of
specialists to help in the recovery process. Physicians who
specialize in physical and rehabilitation medicine (called
physiatrists) usually supervise the rehabilitation program. Physical
therapists plan therapy to strengthen muscles in parts of the body
that still function. Occupational therapists specialize in training
individuals who have lost muscle strength or coordination to
relearn the tasks of daily living, such as eating, dressing, and
grooming. They also train people in how to use assistive
equipment and braces. Social workers help in finding resources to
pay for equipment, home modifications, and attendant care. Family
members also receive education in assisting the injured person.
Are spinal cord injuries permanent?
Whether a spinal cord injury is permanent or not will depend in
part on how severe the injury is, which can range from a mild
bruise (contusion) to the cord being severed in two. Even when
injuries are permanent, any survivors, including those with severe
spinal cord injuries, achieve a one or two level of
€œfunctional€ improvement following treatment and
rehabilitation (and some survivors achieve an even better
recovery).
Limited movement of head and neck: Breathing: Depends on a
ventilator for breathing.
Communication: Talking may be very limited or impossible. If ability
to talk is limited, communication can be accomplished
independently with a mouth stick and assistive technologies like a
computer for speech or typing. Effective communication allows the
survivor to direct caregivers with daily activities such as bathing,
dressing, personal hygiene, transferring, and bladder and bowel
management.
Daily tasks: Assistive technology allows for independence in tasks
such as turning pages, using a telephone and operating lights and
appliances.
Mobility: Can operate an electric wheelchair by using a head
control, mouth stick, or chin control. A power tilt wheelchair allows
independent pressure relief from sitting in one position.
Usually has head and neck control.
Breathing: May initially require a ventilator for breathing but
usually adjusts to breathing full-time without ventilator assistance.
Communication: Normal.
Daily tasks: With specialized equipment may have limited
independence in feeding and independently operating an
adjustable bed with an adaptive controller.
Typically has head and neck control, can shrug shoulder and has
shoulder control. Can bend elbows and turn palms face up.
Daily tasks: Independence with eating, drinking, face washing,
brushing teeth, face shaving and hair care after assistance in
setting up specialized equipment.
Health care: Can help in preventing pressure ulcers by leaning
forward or side-to-side.
Has movement in head, neck, shoulders, arms and wrists. Can
shrug shoulders, bend elbows, turn palms up and down and
extend wrists. Daily tasks: With help of specialized equipment can
perform with greater ease and independence daily tasks of
feeding, bathing, grooming, personal hygiene and dressing. May
independently perform light housekeeping duties.
Health care: Can independently perform skin checks, turn in bed,
and relieve pressure while sitting.
Mobility: Some individuals can independently do transfers but
often require a sliding board. Can use a manual wheelchair for
daily activities but may use power wheelchair for greater
independence.
Has similar movement as an individual with C6 with added ability
to straighten elbows.
Daily tasks: Able to perform household duties. Needs fewer
adaptive aids in independent living.
Health care: Able to do wheelchair pushups for pressure relief.
Mobility: Daily use of manual wheelchair. Can transfer with greater
ease.
Has added strength and coordination of fingers with limited or
even normal hand function. Daily tasks: Can live independently
without assistive devices in feeding, bathing, grooming, oral and
facial hygiene, dressing, and bladder and bowel management.
Mobility: Uses manual wheelchair. Can transfer independently.
Has normal motor function in head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands
and fingers. Has increased use of rib and chest muscles and may
have some trunk control. Daily tasks: Should be totally
independent with all activities.
Mobility: A few individuals are capable of limited walking with
extensive bracing. However, this requires extremely high energy
and puts stress on the upper body, which can lead to damage of
upper joints. There is no functional advantage with this kind of
walking.
Mortality
Because of the force that is required to fracture the spine, many
spinal cord-injured patients suffer significant damage to the chest
or abdomen. Many of these associated injuries are fatal. For
isolated spinal cord injuries the mortality after one year is about 5-
7%. If a patient survives the first 24 hours after spinal cord injury,
the likelihood of survival for ten years is approximately 75-80%.
The ten-year survival rate for patients who survived the first year
after injury is 87%. Not surprisingly, younger survivors and those
with incomplete injuries do better than older survivors and those
with complete injuries.
About the Author
For more information please visit http://spinal-injury-help.com/
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/25213.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/25213.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Bridget B. | Free Accouting Software Review
Free Accounting Software
Read it online or print it out. Free accounting Software is totally
Free. They tend to be the most popular in ...
What is the Lemon Law?
Lemon Laws were created to protect consumers from products
that are plagued with serious defects. If an item cannot be
...
What is Hyperhidrosis?
What is Hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis is localized and abnormal excessive sweating
* Normal sweating helps regulate body temperature by
producing ...
University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix , founded 1976 in Phoenix. In 1978, it
got accredited by the Commission on Institutions of ...
|
|
| |
|
