A spinal cord injury (SCI) isn’t the same as having a broken back. It causes damage or disability of multiple functions and parts of the body, i.e. lungs, skin and sensory, blood pressure, temperature, sexual function, bladder, etc. As a result, living a normal life becomes difficult for a person with SCI and requires customized rehabilitation with physiotherapy management of spinal cord injury.
In this article, you will understand SCI and its types, causes, symptoms, and the role of physiotherapy in spinal cord injury and its recovery. We have also discussed the steps, phases, and benefits of physiotherapy management for SCI. Here you go!
Spinal Cord Injury Definition and Types:
Spinal Cord Injury or SCI refers to an injury to the spinal cord, which is responsible for transmitting messages to the brain and back. An SCI can disrupt nerve signaling from any point below where it occurs. Some injuries can be recovered entirely, while others may cause complete paralysis.
Types of Spinal Cord Injury:
Our medical experts categorize the different types of SCIs into two categories:
By the Location of the Injury
- The Cervical Spine: It’s the area behind your neck. Horizontally, from the base of your skull down to your shoulder level.
- The Thoracic Spine: This area starts from your upper back and ends below the navel.
- Lumbar Spine: This is the part of the spine that ends where your buttocks and thighs meet, and the area covering it is called the lower back.
- The Sacral Spine: This region is in your back where the nerve roots run from beneath your butt to your tailbone.
By the Severeness of the Injury
- Incomplete SCI: It affects only some parts of your spinal cord, so some of your abilities around that point are still functional.
- Complete SCI: It impacts all parts of your affected area. It means the loss of all capabilities under the injury, which includes paralysis.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries:
The causes of spinal cord injuries include:
- Motor Vehicle Accidents are quite common and make up about 37% of all SCI cases.
- Falls account for around 31% of SCIs.
- Violence-related injuries like penetration from a sharp object cause 15% of SCIs.
- Sports-related injuries are responsible for 8% of SCI cases.
- There are other causes, too, like tumors in the spine, infections, low blood flow, hereditary conditions, etc.
Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms:
The symptoms of SCI are based on the affected signals, which are of mainly three kinds as discussed below.
Sensory Symptoms
Sensory signals controlled by the spinal cord inform your brain about your environment and what’s happening in your body. These signals make you aware of pressure, temperature, touch, etc., and sensory symptoms of SCI include numbness, pain, inflammation, and tingling sensation.
The primarily controls sensory (touch-based) signaling, such as temperature, pressure, vibration, etc. Some sensory symptoms are pain, numbness, and a tingling sensation.
Motor symptoms
Your brain sends motor signals to the muscles of your different body parts to control your movement. Thus motor symptoms are related to muscles and mobility, and include weakness, paralysis, and spasticity.
Autonomic symptoms
Autonomic signals perform tasks that don’t require thought or voluntary action. Symptoms include heart rate disorders, disruption in blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, and more.
Role of Physiotherapy for Spinal Cord Injury:
If someone is going through SCI, they should start physiotherapy management of spinal cord injury immediately after the injury. A spinal injury impacts not just the person but also their loved ones. One has to face many obstacles throughout their life. Physiotherapy treatments will help to cure you while working closely with your family and caregivers. Our physiotherapists at Shivechchha design a treatment to meet your specific conditions and needs. The treatment you receive from spinal cord physiotherapy will depend on the extent and severity of your injury.
Physiotherapy for complete SCI focuses on maintaining tissue capacity, strengthening muscles, and maximizing potential while promoting independence.
Incomplete SCI on the other hand requires a custom physiotherapy approach depending on the severity of the injury. Each patient, therefore, requires an individual plan and ongoing assessment. It focuses on rehabilitation and restoring the person to their natural physical state.
Essential steps to manage the effects of spinal cord injuries:
The main steps in managing spinal cord injuries are:
Assessing the Condition
Firstly, medical professionals will run a diagnosis to determine the problems within the spine through scans or tests. They’ll also try to prevent further damage to the spine.
Identifying the Main Issue
The next step is determining the root of the problem and its severity level. The therapists will also update the family members about the conditions and the kind of care to give.
Determining the Physiotherapy Treatment
Physiotherapists decide on the most effective treatment strategies for each patient and then develop a recovery plan and rehabilitation program.
Measuring the Progress
It helps track the healing process and assess the effectiveness of spinal cord injury treatment strategies. Thus, treatment plans can be changed and new physiotherapy techniques introduced if needed.
3 Phases of Physiotherapy Management of Spinal Code Injury:
The main steps in managing spinal cord injuries are:
Acute phase
This is where respiratory and circulatory problems are addressed, and therapists focus on immobilizing the affected area for faster healing. Problems with breathing are also addressed in this phase.
Sub-acute (rehabilitation)
This phase includes addressing mobility issues, involving other departments, and ensuring an easy reintegration process. By other departments, we mean orthopedics, surgeons, physiotherapists, and other doctors. They’ll play their role according to the severity of the injury.
Chronic (long-term)
This type of treatment requires long-term planning to aid the patient’s recovery. The plans include regular checks and physiotherapy adjustments. This phase may even take years of care and rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation can be done at multiple levels. In the short term, it helps individuals adapt to their present conditions and enhance mobility. In the long term, it reduces dependency on medication and others’ help.
Benefits of Physiotherapy Management of Spinal Cord Injury:
Helps Achieve Functional Independence
Physiotherapy works on the areas affected by paralysis due to spinal injuries and helps the patients regain mobility, making them independent, like before, in daily activities.
Increases Muscle Strength
Physiotherapy prevents the loss of muscle mass in unmovable limbs. If someone is not able to walk, their upper arm muscles are strengthened. This allows them to move from one place to another using a wheelchair for the time being.
Enhance Sensory Control
Since sensory experiences such as pain, touch, or temperature change, sensory rehabilitation helps patients regain sensory function.
Reduce Pain & Strengthening Systems
SCI can often cause chronic pain in patients; thus, physiotherapy helps patients relax and reduce pain. The therapy also benefits the circulatory and respiratory systems.
Improvement in Bladder and Bowel Control
Physiotherapy also offers catheter training to patients so they can regain and maintain the bladder and bowel. It promotes independence and reduces the chances of infections.
Conclusion:
SCIs are among the most severe and disruptive incidents one can endure, and the effects are usually permanent. However, physiotherapy management of spinal cord injury can bring miraculous healing.
A physiotherapist who works with SCI patients helps them improve their ability and regain their independence. By independence, we do not just mean daily routine work like bathing and cleaning but also playing sports, traveling, and having fun. If you know someone who’s suffering from SCI, ask them not to lose hope and start spinal physiotherapy quickly to get back to a normal happy life.
