Spinal Cord Injury Essay

* Following a SCI, the first priority is often to help the patient develop as much possible strength in the

A Spinal Cord Injury is damage to any part of the Spinal Cord nerves at the end of the Spinal Canal. Every Year, 17,000 Spinal Cord Injuries are reported in the USA alone. The Most Frequent age for Spinal Cord Injuries is 19. Almost 200 Spinal Cord Injuries were reported for High School Football. People who suffer from SCI (Spinal Cord injuries) can experience muscle weakness, poor coordination, and overactive reflexes.There is many

Spinal cord injuries are characterized by two distinct injury phases. The primary injury phase is represented by all the tissue directly damaged at the time of injury. The damage seen in this phase is primarily shearing of cells, destruction of local vasculature, and severe disruption of spinal cord function. The secondary injury phase is characterized by inflammation of the injury site, immune-mediated tissue destruction, and edema formation at the lesion site. The nature of spinal cord injuries makes the damage done by the primary injury irreversible. The majority of therapeutic research is done with the intention of lessening the damage done during the secondary injury phase. One major complication faced by researchers trying to control the secondary injury phase is the localized destruction of vasculature. Without a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, many of the cells in the spinal cord will begin to die rapidly, oftentimes releasing biological signals that encourage other cells to die as well. The uncontrolled movement of fluid into the lesion site causes the tissue to swell, further complicating the processes of rebuilding vasculature. The movement of immune

A frightening 2.5 million people live with the burden of a spinal cord injury. Each year, more than 130,000 new injuries are reported (Oyinbo, 2011). A spinal cord injury is one of the most debilitating injuries, and puts a lifelong burden on not only the patient, but the caregiver as well. Years ago, a spinal cord injury translated to a lifetime of wheelchair confinement, endless comorbidities, and lost hope of ever regaining normal function. Treatment was limited, and patients suffered because of it. But research has come along way, and the future of spinal cord injuries looks more promising than ever.

While true spinal cord trauma is a devastating injury its actual incidence is extremely low. In a study that examined one million trauma victims, only 2% had true spinal cord damage and of that 2%, only 1% had neurological deficits of any kind. Moreover, there is little data to suggest that our efforts at spinal immobilization are even effective. (Santa Cruz County EMS Integration Authority, 2012, para. 2)

The central nervous system is what connects the brain to the muscles of the body. When a patient has an injury to the spinal cord, movements in certain parts of the body will be affected based on the location of the injury. If the injury affects hand motion then many day to day tasks are affected. This literature review seeks to understand how an injury to the spinal cord impacts movement, and what has been done so far to help those affected by spinal cord injuries.

By taking on new functions, they become helpful in regenerative and reparative medicine, where injected cells develop into the same type of cell as that in the desired region. Although in theory stem cells seem like a promising treatment, questions arise about the ethics, effectiveness and consistency of the procedure. Ethics question whether it is right to derive the stem cells from Humans. This is because the most common stem cells are those found in adults, and those derived from an embryo. Others question whether it is guaranteed to work every time. If the cells are injected and left to take specialized form, how can it be known that it will become the type of cell desired. To put these questions to rest, many studies have been done using spinal injuries in rats. These studies tested the effect of the timing of the injection, as well as tracked the development of these cells from injection to specialization. All in all; the effects of stem cell injections are most efficient when the timing and type of the injections are chosen precisely.

A spinal cord injury is defined as any damage done to the spinal cord that causes changes in function. Until recently, there was little knowledge known about the aftermath effects of a post spinal cord injury. Two different research teams decided to test the aftereffects that spinal cord injuries have on the well-being of a person. Both research teams tested the well-being of patients based on a multitude of different factors; such as, religion, gender, income, age and many other factors.

Spinal injuries can happen to anyone. There are less than 200,000 cases in the US each year, and most of the time this injury can not be completely cured. The spinal cord is about 18 inches long, it is a bundle of nerves which contains neurons that carry signals between the brain and body. The spinal cord has sections, C1-C8, T1-T12, L1-L5, the sacrum, and the coccyx. The C stands for Cervical, the T for Thoracic, and the L stands for Lumbar. Injuring different sections signifies different problems and diagnosis. The spinal cord controls the body. It controls sensory messages which include sense of touch, pain, pressure, temperature, and body position. It controls motor messages which tell the body what to do. For example, legs, arms, hands,

Patients take MP within 8 hours of injury, followed by a 23 hours infusion. Patients in this research are over 13 years of age and will have to meet the standard requirement of the trial. Early studies of 3 mg/kg doses of MP in animal models showed that the neuronal transmembrane potential is maintained while the impulse conduction is also enhanced after the infusion. High doses of steroids leaded to better blood flow compared to the pre-injury level. Steroids are believed to play a huge role in stabilizing the cell membrane by inhibiting free radical reactions, which occur in spinal cord injury. This mechanism would decrease the disruption in spinal cord activity, and eventually reduce the rate of progressing. The complication while administration of high dose, short-term MP do not appear to be significant as those associated with chronic administration. There are several adverse effects in the protocol including wound infection rates, and gastrointestinal bleeding. However, the incidences were not considered to be statistically nor clinically

Having a spinal cord injury can be a very life changing event in many ways. It can affect the ability to function in different daily activities. Spinal cord injury mostly affects people during their early adult 19 years old and an average age at the time of injury of 38 (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center 2006). Since a spinal cord injury affects all systems of the human body, a lot of people who end up with a spinal injury have serious inquires about how their injuries will affect their performance in a sexual relationship. The way you feel about sex and the ability to have sex is important and is different for everyone. Having injury to the spinal cord will have some effect on sexual functions in the body. The level of which sexual

In the United States alone, there are approximately 12,000 new spinal cord injury cases each year (The National SCI Statistical Center [NSCISC], 2013). The severity of the patient’s injuries depends on how severe the spinal cord injury is, and where it is located at on the spinal column. If the spinal cord injury is complete, it renders the patient paralyzed below the injury. If the spinal cord injury is incomplete, the patient may have some movement and sensation below the injury (Medline Plus, 2014).

Injuries to the spine and spinal cord can lead to other health problems. Cardiovascular issues, along with deep vein thrombosis are all associated with spinal injuries if not treated correctly. Patients suffering from joint and back pain can benefit from Stem Cell Moore to help relieve inflammation and nerve damage that comes along with the injury.

Spinal cord injuries can be extremely debilitating with significant impairment in autonomic, sensory, and motor function (Coll-Miro et al., 2016). The prevalence in Canada is on the rise with approximately 86,000 individuals suffering from such injuries as of 2010 (Noonan et al., 2012). Spinal cord injuries are generally classified as either traumatic or non-traumatic, depending on etiology (Sabapathy et al., 2015). In addition, they are subdivided into either complete or incomplete, depending on whether the spinal cord section is fully or partially damaged (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015). The latter classification has better clinical outcomes as some neurologic function is reserved (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015). Other subtypes include paraplegia and quadriplegia denoting paralysis of the lower body or all limbs, respectively (Wilberger and Dupre, 2015; Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). The pathogenesis of spinal cord injuries is characterized by primary tissue damage due to the force of impact, followed by secondary tissue damage as a result of the inflammatory response (Sabapathy et al., 2015; Coll-Miro et al., 2015). The symptoms and severity may vary depending on the location and pathology of the contusion (Sabapathy et al., 2015). Presenting symptoms include but are not limited to numbness or pain in the extremities, loss of sensation, impaired movement or gait, abnormal reflexes, disrupted bladder or bowel function, and sexual dysfunction (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Several

The spine is one of the most important structures in the human body. The spine is located in the dorsal cavity and consists of 24 bones, called vertebrae. These vertebrae play a crucial role in protected the body’s command center, the spinal cord. But what happens when a disorder prevents the spinal column from functioning correctly? Scoliosis is a musculoskeletal disorder that causes abnormal lateral curvature of the spine and it effects millions of people in the US per year. I have chosen this disorder because I am aspiring to become a chiropractor and scoliosis is a typical condition that chiropractors help treat on a daily basis.