 SPINAL
INJURY
A spinal cord injury is damage or trauma to the spinal cord that results in a loss or
impaired function resulting in reduced
mobility or feeling. It is often caused by trauma e.g.: a car accident, gunshot, falls, sports injuries, or
a disease e.g.:Transverse Myelitis, Polio, Spina Bifida, Friedreich's
Ataxia, The resulting damage to the cord is known as a
lesion,
and the paralysis is known as quadraplegia or tetraplegia if the injury is in the
cervical
region (see diagram), or as paraplegia
if the injury is in the
Thoracic,
Lumbar
or
Sacral
region.
It is estimated that there are 40,000 people in
the UK
alone that are paralysed through spinal cord injury.
The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system and
carries signals to and from the brain, controlling almost every
function of the body.
When there is damage or trauma to the spinal cord it will result in
loss or impaired function causing reduced mobility and/or feeling.
The effects of spinal cord injury depend on the type and
level of the injury.
Injuries can be divided into two areas:
-
Complete - means that there is no function, (no sensation or
voluntary movement) below the level of the injury.
-
Incomplete – there is some function below the level of
injury. A person may
be able to feel parts of the body that cannot be moved, they may
be able to move one limb more than the other.
HOW WE CAN HELP:
Our interdisciplinary team of Consultants,
Nurses, Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist offer full
assessment and comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation programmes.
The rehabilitation programmes are patient centred, goal
orientated to enable the patient to play an active part in making
informed decisions in all aspects of their rehabilitation.
Our skilled nursing team is able to assist the patient to
plan their care on a daily basis, including personal care, bladder
and bowel management and wound care.
Along with the physiotherapist and occupational therapist the
team encourage patients to participate in and return to normal
living, including return to work, family or education.
Rehabilitation Services
include Bowel and Bladder Management, Calliper Training, Driving
Assessments and Lessons, Fertility Advice, Functional Electrical
Stimulation, Hydrotherapy, Mobilisation after Surgery, Occupational
Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychological Counselling, Skills Honing and
Top-up Rehabilitation, Speech and Language Therapy, Splinting,
Teaching Activities of Daily Living, Treadmill Therapy, Wheelchair
and Cushion Assessments, and Wound and Pressure Care.
|
