Being able to eat one or walk one day and losing the ability the next is a life-shattering experience. spinal cord injury recovery.
Every year about 300,000-500,000 individuals develop a spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury recovery involves tackling both the emotional and physical changes. You must also know your strengths and weakness depending on the type you have.
Sure, you may not be able to do what you once could, but there is life for you after a spinal cord injury. If you are struggling, there are ways to learn how.
What is the Spinal Cord?
The spine is the body’s backbone starting from the base of the brain to the back. There are a total of 31 pairs of nerves that allow the brain to command the body through muscle communication.
Organ function and even your breathing are controlled by the spine. Nerves provide a sense of pain, touch, position, and temperature.
The spine is protected by the spinal canal, known as vertebrae. The vertebral column is further divided into three parts:
- 8 Cervical vertebrae at the neck
- 12 thoracic vertebrae at the upper chest
- 5 lumbar vertebrae at the lower chest
- 5 Sacral vertebrae
- 1 coccyx vertebra at the tailbone
These divisions work in harmony as a unit, allowing you to move from head to toe. However, injury to one or more of the vertebral column results in a loss in function to an area or organ in the body.
Spinal Cord Injury Types and the Symptoms
The spine is very sensitive to injury and unfortunately, once the damage is done, it’s done. The spine is unable to repair or regenerate. It does not have to be physically cut or crushed to be damaged. Being stretched or bruised is just as bad for the spine.
The injury occurs due to shock or trauma such as a car accident. Extreme loss of blood supply and excess compression due to infection or a tumor can also cause permanent damage.
There are several types of spinal cord injuries a person may get. It’s possible that one can progress to the other in some cases.
Any of these injuries will show symptoms in loss of sensation, sexual dysfunction, and loss of function in bowel or bladder control.
Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
The cervical spine controls communication and movement of the arms, hands, shoulders, head, and diaphragm. Damage received will result in paralysis or weakness in these areas. The person becomes quadriplegic (also called tetraplegic).
A neck brace is given to those with neck injuries. Sometimes, there may also be issues with controlling breathing and body temperature.
Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury
This type of Injury least common due to added protection from the ribs. The person becomes paraplegic at the legs. The muscles of the stomach and back are affected.
Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury
A person with a lumbar injury to the spine can also develop paraplegia. Since the injury is around the lower aspect of the body, arm, shoulder and hand control aren’t usually affection.
Sacral Spinal Cord Injury
The main symptoms of this type of injury are a loss of normal bodily excretions and sexual alterations. The lower legs are damaged while the upper body is usually fine.
Incomplete vs. Complete Spinal Cord Injury
Those with incomplete spinal cord injury have some level of function below the location of the injury. This is because communication between the brain and spine is not completely severed. More often than not, both the left and right sides of the body are affected. The feeling of sensation will also remain, even if it is faint.
Those with complete spinal cord injury have a total loss in muscle sensation and touch post-trauma.
5 Tips on Road to Spinal Cord Injury Recovery
Work Closely With a Gynecologist
There is a heavy relationship with spinal cord injury and sexual function for males and females. Women should visit an OB-GYN to learn new ways they can live and adapt to bodily changes. Questions on being sexually physical or lack of it can be communicated. For men, visiting a urologist will be the equivalent of visiting an OB-GYN.
Have Physical Therapy
Depending on the spinal injury and whether it is complete or incomplete will be the determining factor in your treatment plan. You must work with a physical therapist to learn how to move again.
Walking, moving the hands and feet, and eating may have to be relearned. In the event lower body function is partially or completely lost, you will have physical therapy with an aid that you may use for life. Most will learn how to use a wheelchair, but crutches are also used.
Addressing Financial Changes
Spinal cord injuries are accidentally self-caused or by others if genetic factors are excluded. Having regular appointments with a doctor and having to purchase medication and equipment will be costly. You will have to work closely with your health insurance provider and find resources or benefits that can help reduce costs.
If your injury was caused by someone else, such as a car accident, you are entitled to reimbursement due to economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. Having a lawyer to help you throughout the process will help maximize rightful compensation.
Be a Member of a Support Group
The mind is involved following a spinal cord injury. Emotional changes such as anger, sadness or feeling useless surface. Having someone to talk to, especially someone who went through what you did can help you recover better.
Stay Active: Exercise and Plan Activities
While it is true a spinal cord injury changes a lot in what you can and cannot do, it doesn’t mean you cannot do anything. Getting into exercise again or discovering a new type of exercise benefits you mentally and physically.
Doing the same routine every day is boring, so planning new activities you can do alone or with others enhance daily living.
Life After Spinal Cord Injury
The road to spinal cord injury recovery is not a straight line. You will run into bumps and curves or stop at a phase until you’re ready to move again.
Most spinal injuries are causes caused by car accidents. Life in a matter of seconds changes in that one moment. Spinal cord injuries can also result from malpractice by health professionals.
Losing your ability to do what you used to can’t ever be truly compensated when the function is forever lost.
However, if you are dealing with a spinal cord injury getting rightful compensation will help in adapting to a new life.
Contact us if you experienced a roadway accident or malpractice resulting in spinal cord injury.
