Every two hours, someone new sustains a lifechanging spinal cord injury (SCI). Whether this is through an injury, illness, or health condition, a spinal cord injury can have a huge impact on the body.
As the spinal cord is an extension of the brain, an SCI can cause loss of sensation and control over parts of the body, including partial paralysis.
This can be a hard adjustment, causing a loss of independence and a reliance on others. However, with the right support on hand, a smoother transition can be had towards regaining independence.
Types of spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injuries can be divided into four main categories depending on where in the spinal cord the injury happens. The higher the injury on the spine, the more of the body that is affected.
The four main types of SCI are categorized as follows (from top to bottom):
- Cervical – head, neck, shoulders, and arms
- Thoracic – the back, chest, and upper abdomen
- Lumbar – lower back, thighs, and legs
- Sacral – buttocks, bladder, bowel, sexual function, legs and feet
These types do not exist in isolation. If an injury occurs further up the spine, for example a thoracic injury, then this will likely impact the areas below, in this case the lumbar and sacral. This means that the higher the injury, the more parts of the body that will be affected.
No matter where the injury takes place on the spine, it is likely that control over your bladder, bowels, and sexual functioning will be affected. This can have a huge impact on your daily life and can be a very distressing part of a SCI.
Whilst the effects of an SCI can be distressing, getting the right support can help you regain independence.
Physical impacts
As mentioned above, spinal cord injuries have a huge impact on your motor and sensory functions. Depending on where the injury occurs on the spine, this can cause you to lose the ability to walk, move, and coordinate.
This can in turn affect your physical health, as your ability to exercise, move, and care for yourself becomes limited. For example, a lack of movement can cause sores to develop on the skin or a gradual deterioration of muscle tissue.
These symptoms can be prevented with the right care and support.
Our team of carers work alongside you to assess the help that you need. We can also support rehabilitation programmes prepared by a physiotherapist or speech and language therapist which can help improve your long-term quality of life.
As mentioned before, spinal cord injuries can cause you to lose control over your bladder and bowel movements. This is another area where we can help, providing you with the bowel and bladder care that you need.
Getting the right care can have a huge impact on your quality of life and ensures that your physical health remains a priority.
You can find more information about spinal cord injuries at the Spinal Injuries Association website.
If you would like to find out more about the support we can offer for spinal cord injuries, contact our team today.