What is a spinal cord injury?
Is there any treatment?
Usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that
fractures or dislocates vertebrae
The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone
fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into the spinal
cord tissue
Most injuries to the spinal cord do not completely sever it; more
likely to cause fractures and compression of vertebrae when then
crush and destroy the axon which are extensions of nerve cells that
carry signals up and down the spinal cord between the brain and
the rest of the body
An injury to the spinal cord can damage a few, many, or almost all
of these axons
Some injuries will almost completely recover, while others will
result in complete paralysis
Improved emergency care for people with spinal cord injuries and
aggressive treatment and rehab can minimize damage to nervous
system and even restore limited abilities.
Respiratory complications are often an indication of the severity of
spinal cord injury
The steroid drug methylprednisolone appears to reduce the damage
to nerve cells if it is given within the first 8 hours after injury
Rehab programs combine physical therapies with skill-building
activities and counseling to provide social and emotional support
Electrical stimulation of nerves can help improve specific
functions such as bladder, breathing, coughing, etc.
Roger C. Peace
Only program of its kind in the state of SC accredited by
Serves as part of a continuum of services offered to
the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation
Facilities
personals with spinal cord injury through shared therapists,
consistent treatment protocols, and training of acute
personnel and community education
Shepherd Center
Shepherd Center specializes in spinal cord injuries,
There are several different specialized treatment plans for
allowing the staff to be very specialized and practiced in
their field
those who might not fit the average plan, as well as
advanced treatment plans and outpatient programs
Accredited by CARF
Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation
Part of the Carolinas HealthCare System (serving both NC
and SC), it is one of the largest not-for-profit rehabilitation
providers in the US
Able to offer both inpatient and outpatient treatment for
spinal cord injuries
Located near one of the nation’s leading hospitals, allowing
for trusted medical assistance
Accredited by CARF
o What is the prognosis?
Spinal cord injuries are classified as either complete or incomplete
People who survive a spinal cord injury will most likely have
Surgery is often necessary to relieve compression of the spinal
Incomplete- the ability of the spinal cord to convey
messages to or from the brain is not completely lost; people
retain some motor or sensory function below the injury
Complete- indicated by total lack of sensory and motor
function below the level of injury
medical complications such as chronic pain and bladder and bowel
dysfunction; successful recovery depends on how well these
chronic conditions are handled day to day
tissue
http://www.ghs.org/?id=297&sid=1#.VaafHRPBzGc
http://www.shepherd.org/about/why-choose-shepherd
http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/rehabilitation-inpatient-spinal-cord-injury
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/sci/sci.htm
Have you or your loved one obtained a spinal cord injury while you were working?
Injuries to the spinal cord can be lifelong problems and it is normal to feel overwhelmed
when thinking about the next step. It is important to get the proper treatment for your
injury before it becomes any worse. Spinal cord injuries are serious and you deserve to
receive the best possible care that can be offered to you so that the impact on your day-to-
day life is as small as possible.
A spinal cord injury is usually caused by sudden blow to the spine that impacts the
vertebrae. The damage to the spinal cord begins the second that the injury occurs because
the spinal disc material or the displaced bone fragments that are impacted tear into the
spinal cord. Most of the time, when someone injuries their spinal cord, it is not
completely torn through, only partially. This does not mean that the injury is not critical,
though, because fractures and compression of the vertebrae can still occur. These injuries
destroy the axon in the spinal cord, which are the extensions of the nerve cells that carry
the signals from the brain to the rest of the body through the spinal cord. Sometimes, only
a few axons are harmed, while in other cases, many are affected. Some spinal injuries
will cause complete paralysis, whereas others can almost completely recover.
To effectively treat a spinal cord injury, it is very important that the emergency care is
aggressive and that a rehabilitation plan is in place to restore as many abilities as possible
and keep nerve damage limited. The amount of respiratory complications that a person
has can help a doctor determine the severity of the injury. There is a steroid drug called
methylprednisolone that might be ale to reduce the nerve damage if it is taken within
eight hours of the accident. Electrical stimulation of the nerves can help specific parts of
your body react better, such as your bladder, breathing, arm/leg movements, etc. Rehab
programs provide a combination of physical therapies and counseling to allow for a
holistic approach to treatment and can help you recover both physically and emotionally
from your injury.
There are three main rehabilitation centers in this region that can help with spinal cord
injuries. Roger C. Peace is located in Greenville, SC and is the only program of its’ kind
in the state of South Carolina that is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) which has high standards and is recognized nationally.
Their spinal cord injury program serves as a continuum of services that are offered to
people with spinal cord injuries including therapists, consistent treatment protocols, and
thorough specialized training of employees. The Shepherd Center is located in Atlanta,
GA and the whole center is specialized in brain and spinal cord injuries, allowing their
staff to be very specialized and have a great amount of practice in the field. There are
several different treatment plans for those people that might not present as typical, as well
as both inpatient and outpatient programs. It is also accredited by CARF. Finally, the
Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation is located in Charlotte, NC. It is part of the Carolinas
HealthCare System that serves North Carolina and South Carolina and is one of the
largest not-for-profit rehab providers in the US. It is able to offer both inpatient and
outpatient services and is located near one of the nation’s leading hospitals, allowing for
trusted medical care. This center is accredited by CARF as well.
Spinal cord injuries can be labeled as either incomplete or complete. If a spinal cord
injury is classified as incomplete, it means that the spinal cord’s ability to get messages to
and from the brain is not completely gone. People with these types of injuries retain some
sensory or motor abilities below the level of the injury. Those that are classified with a
complete spinal cord injury totally lack sensory and motor abilities below their injury.
Surgery is often needed to relive the compression that the spinal cord is in. Those who
survive a spinal cord injury typically have some kind of medical complication such as
chronic pain and bladder and bowel dysfunction. The complete and successful recovery
of someone with a spinal cord injury depends on how well these types of conditions are
managed.
Worrying about your employer’s insurance coverage should not be something that you
need to deal with alone. We at the Dan Pruitt Law Firm are experts in dealing with cases
like these and we would like to take the stress off of your shoulders and let you focus on
healing. Call us today at 8642324273 for a free consultation.