Spinal Cord Injury Treatment in India - Understanding Spinal Cord Injury

Your spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of your back. It carries signals back and forth between your body and your brain. A spinal cord injury disrupts the signals. Spinal cord injuries usually begin with a blow that fractures or dislocates your vertebrae, the bone disks that make up your spine. Most injuries don't cut through your spinal cord. Instead, they cause damage when pieces of vertebrae tear into cord tissue or press down on the nerve parts that carry signals.

Spinal cord injuries can be complete or incomplete. With a complete spinal cord injury, the cord can't send signals below the level of the injury. As a result, you are paralyzed below the injury. With an incomplete injury, you have some movement and sensation below the injury.

A spinal cord injury is a medical emergency. Immediate treatment can reduce long-term effects. Treatments may include medicines, braces or traction to stabilize the spine, and surgery. Later treatment usually includes medicines and rehabilitation therapy. Mobility aids and assistive devices may help you to get around and do some daily tasks.

Each patient's injury is unique. Some patients require surgery to stabilise the spine, correct a gross misalignment, or to remove tissue causing cord or nerve compression. Spinal stabilisation often helps to prevent further damage.  Some patients may be placed in traction and the spine allowed to heal naturally.  Every injury is unique as is the course of post injury treatment that follows.

Spinal Cord Shock

When a spinal cord injury is caused due to trauma, the body goes into a state known as spinal shock. While spinal shock begins within a few minutes of the injury, it make take several hours before the full effects occur. During spinal shock the nervous system is unable to transmit signals, some of which may return once spinal shock has subsided, the time spinal shock lasts for is approximately 4-6 weeks following the injury. In some rare cases spinal cord shock can last for several more months.  The loss of these signals will effect the persons movement, sensation and how well the body’s systems function. Often the persons loss of movement and sensation below the level of the spinal cord injury may appear complete soon after the injury. This may mask the real extent of the damage. Usually, over the first few weeks the some of body systems adjust to the effects of the injury and their function improves. Therefore, during this time and the early stage of ANY new injury it is unlikely that an accurate prediction of any recovery or permanent paralysis can be made.


Surgery

Depending on the circumstances, when surgery is required, it may be performed within 8 hours following injury. Surgery may be considered if the spinal cord is compressed and when the spine requires stabilization. The surgeon decides the procedure that will provide the greatest benefit for the patient.

Different tissue and bony structures including vertebrae misaligned from the force of injury, a herniated disc, or a haematoma can cause spinal cord compression. An unstable spine may require spinal instrumentation and fusion to build in support.

Spinal instrumentation and fusion can be used to provide permanent stability to the spinal column. These procedures correct, join, and solidify the level where a spinal element has been damaged or removed .

Instrumentation uses medically designed hardware such as rods, bars, wires and screws. Instrumentation is combined with fusion (bone grafts) to permanently join two or more vertebrae.

Healing Broken Bones Without Surgery

Surgery isn't the only way to repair broken bones in the neck and back a more conservative and less invasive approach is to allow the bones to heal naturally with the help of halo traction where needed.  This approach may mean up to two months complete bed rest.
 

Recovery

Once the patient is stabilised, care and treatment focuses on supportive care and rehabilitation. Family members, nurses, or specially trained carers give supportive care. This care might include helping the patient bathe, dress, change positions to prevent bedsores, and other assistance.

Rehabilitation often includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, and counselling for emotional support. Each program is designed to meet the patient's unique needs. 

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