Stand Tall: 4 Ways To Overcome A Spinal Injury

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, as many as 450,000 people in the U.S. are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Doctors and scientists are researching and developing new treatments everyday to help overcome spinal injury. Overcoming a spinal injury is a daunting task. Here are 4 recommendations for overcoming a spinal injury.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy (PT) can be instrumental in overcoming a spinal injury. The benefits derived from the exercises performed in PT are:

* reduces pain

* maintains posture, strength and stability

* builds strength

* releases endorphins

* improves sleep

* reduces future injury or illness

* increases metabolic rate and stamina

* encourages ideal weight

Physical therapy is equally beneficial to people in wheelchairs. Exercising can be targeted to

* increase strength in the neck, shoulder blades and torso

* improves wheelchair mobility and management

* helps to enable easier bed to wheelchair transfer

* helps enhance range of motion

Physical therapy plays a major role in rehabilitating spinal injuries and helps the patient fulfill daily tasks and work toward a sense of independence if wheelchair bound.

Epothilone Treatment

Injured nerve cells in the spine can have lasting impact. A spinal injury will cause scar tissue to form which hinders nerve cell growth and causes certain cellular processes to hinder axon growth. A cancer treatment called epothilone encourages axon growth and prevents scar tissue development. Epothilone is currently used as a cancer treatment and is licensed and available in America. Unlike epothilone, other cancer treatments do not have the ability to penetrate the central nervous system.

Kyphoplasty Procedure

The Kyphoplasty Procedure corrects spine compression fractures caused by cancer or osteoporosis. This procedure uses advanced technology and is minimally invasive. You should do your research and find professionals, like those at Southwest Florida Neurosurgical & Rehab Associates, if you’re considering this procedure. The procedure involves the following steps:

1. Your doctor makes an incision in your back and places a narrow tube there.

2. He or she uses x-ray images for guidance as he or she inserts a balloon through the tube and inflates it.

3. The balloon returns the bone pieces to their former height.

4. The doctor removes the balloon and fills the cavity with a cement-like material.

5. The material hardens to stabilize the bone.

Reduced pain is evident within 2 days although some patients experience immediate relief.

Stem Cell Therapy

Human stem cells or V2a interneurons have been found to repair spinal cord injuries by transmitting signals from the spinal cord to the brain to control movement. If the spinal cord injury includes injury to the V2a interneurons then paralysis is possible because connections between the limbs and the brain are severed. Transplanting V2a interneurons into the spinal cords of mice caused them to move in a normal manner without any symptoms of impairment. This therapy is still in experimental testing stages.

Out of the four procedures presented to overcome spinal cord injuries, three are viable solutions that can be implemented today. Physical therapy may be ongoing and involves different phases carried out in weeks, months or even years. The stem cell therapy is in infancy stages and not yet available for human use. The Kyphoplasty Procedure is effective and provides fast relief. The epothilone treatment is effective as an alternative use of treating cancer to treating spinal injuries.