Which medicine is best for spinal cord?
A spinal cord injury requires immediate treatment in order to address life-threatening complications and to decrease the risk of long-term problems. Corticosteroid drugs such as dexamethasone (Decadron) or methylprednisolone (Medrol) are used to reduce swelling. In some cases, surgery may be recommended.
How long can you live with spinal cord injury?
Individuals aged 60 years at the time of injury have a life expectancy of approximately 7.7 years (patients with high tetraplegia), 9.9 years (patients with low tetraplegia), and 12.8 years (patients with paraplegia).
Can you fully recover from a spinal cord injury?
In very rare cases, people with spinal cord injury will regain some functioning years after the injury. However, only a small fraction of individuals sustaining a spinal cord injury recover all function.
How do you repair spinal cord damage?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to reverse damage to the spinal cord. But researchers are continually working on new treatments, including prostheses and medications, that might promote nerve cell regeneration or improve the function of the nerves that remain after a spinal cord injury.
What happens when you injure your spinal cord?
Injuries to the spinal cord can cause weakness or complete loss of muscle function and loss of sensation in the body below the level of injury, loss of control of the bowels and bladder, and loss of normal sexual function.
Can spinal injuries cause death?
Mortality risk is highest in the first year after injury and remains high compared to the general population. People with spinal cord injury are 2 to 5 times more likely to die prematurely than people without SCI.
What are the effects of spinal cord injury?
Any spinal cord injury (SCI) may result in a tremendous loss to the patient’s quality of life. They may also suffer from permanent pain, weakness, and changes in sensation both at the site of the injury and to any part of the body connected to the spinal cord. Severe SCI’s may even result in partial or total paralysis.
What are the most common types of spinal cord injuries?
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), the two most common types of spinal cord injuries are incomplete tetraplegia and paraplegia, with incomplete spinal cord injuries accounting for more than 65% of all SCIs.
What are the symptoms of spinal cord damage?
Symptoms of spinal cord injury include: loss of movement; loss of sensation (sense of touch, heat or cold); loss of bowel or bladder control; exaggerated reflexes or spasms; changes in sexual function or sensitivity; pain or stinging due to nerve damage; and difficulty breathing, coughing, or clearing the throat.
What is a complete spinal cord injury?
Complete spinal cord injury. Summary. Complete spinal cord injury is the complete sensory and motor loss below the site of spinal cord injury following acute or chronic destruction, compression, or ischemia of the spinal cord. Initially, this may present as spinal shock, which is an acute physiological loss or depression of spinal cord function.