Spinal cord injuries caused by trauma or similar situations and characterized by damage to the tissues of the nervous system can lead to death, as well as serious losses in physical functions, addiction in daily living habits, severe disability and, as a result, a serious decrease in the quality of life is one of the extremely important health problems. The condition, which affects the person more than physically as well as socially and psychologically, also dramatically changes the lives of people who are in the immediate vicinity with the patient. One of the most common conditions in this table, which are classified in 4 different ways according to the region where spinal cord damage occurs, namely tetraplegia, paraplegia, traumatic spinal cord injury and non-traumatic spinal cord injury, is paraplegic spinal cord injuries.
Ingredients
What is Paraplegia?
What Causes Paraplegic Spinal Cord Paralysis?
Symptoms of Spinal Cord Paralysis
Treatment of Paraplegic Spinal Cord Paralysis
Early Diagnosis in the Treatment of Paraplegic Spinal Cord Paralysis
What is Paraplegia?
The spine, which starts from the brain stem and proceeds in a curved manner to the coccyx, consists of 4 different parts, cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral, and 33 separate disc-shaped bones connected to each other. Each vertebral disc located in the spinal structure is in a state of connection with nerve tissues that perform different functions in the body. Therefore, in cases such as trauma, the damage that occurs in whichever vertebral disc is affected, the body function managed by the nerve cells connected to that area is affected. For example, tissue damage occurring in the first three cervical discs located closest to the brain stem can lead to respiratory arrest and end of life in a person, while in the case of damage to the thoracic and lumbar regions, only loss of physical function due to spinal cord paralysis can be observed.
If the spinal cord injury has affected the upper side from the spinal cord segment called T-1 from the thoracic vertebral discs to the brain stem, then the tetraplegia table appears, and the arms, legs, trunk and pelvic organs may be affected in this table. Paraplegic spinal cord paralysis, on the other hand, develops as a result of damage to the vertebral discs remaining at T-2 and below. In this case, unlike the tetraplegic table, the arms are not affected, only the trunk, legs and other pelvic organs are affected. Loss of function in the motor, sensory and autonomous system applies to both situations.
What Causes Paraplegic Spinal Cord Paralysis?
Although paraplegic spinal cord paralysis often occurs as a result of traumatic events such as a traffic accident, it is possible to mention various conditions that lead to spinal cord paralysis and are not traumatic.
What is traumatic spinal cord paralysis?
Traumatic spinal cord paralysis, which is encountered about 2.5 times more often in men than women, occurs as a result of a traffic accident at a rate of 40-50%.
In the second place, spinal cord paralysis due to a fall occurs with a rate as high as 30-40% and is usually seen in children and construction worker employees.
Violent incidents are also among the causes of paraplegic spinal cord paralysis that develop due to trauma and are responsible for 2-14% Dec.
Finally, serious sports accidents are blamed for about 7% of the trauma-related spinal cord paralysis tables.
Vertebral fractures that may exist in patients who are transported without the use of a lanyard and a rigid stretcher after a traffic accident, falling from a height, may cause paraplegia. Transporting trauma patients in appropriate conditions can prevent paraplegia.
What is non-traumatic spinal cord paralysis?
Various diseases that occur in, near, or in any area affecting the spinal discs of the spinal cord can lead to pressure, tightness, and damage to the spinal cord.
Infectious diseases such as brucella and tuberculosis are important diseases that are known to lead to paraplegic spinal cord paralysis at a later stage.
Tumors that occur on and near the spine can cause spinal cord paralysis due to the pressure it will exert on the spinal cord at an advanced stage.
A spinal cord infection called transverse myelitis is also associated with both paraplegic and tetraplegic spinal cord paralysis.
Diseases related to the nervous system, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), can lead to spinal cord paralysis in the advanced stages.
Advanced lumbar and neck hernias can also cause both tetraplegic and paraplegic spinal cord paralysis due to the pressure they exert on the spinal cord.
It is possible to say that groups of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, characterized by progressive loss of nerve cells, are also associated with spinal cord paralysis.
Symptoms of Spinal Cord Paralysis
In a healthy human body, thanks to the spinal cord and other nervous system structures, nerve conduction is provided between the arm, leg and brain organs, and in this way, a person performs the act of movement by feeling his arms, legs, fingers. Dec. One of the first signs that occurs as a result of any injury affecting the nerve tissue is usually the loss of sensation. The nerve cells of the affected area suffer damage, and loss of sensation occurs in the organs to which these cells are connected. In cases where the disease is more severe, complete or partial loss of November muscle strength may occur in the affected body area. In this case, the affected part of the body will also lose its sensitivity to pain and soreness, as it has completely lost its sense of sensation. Therefore, the affected body area becomes prone to various injuries, especially decubitus ulcer, also known as bedsore.
Deceleration or complete loss of reflexes are also among the symptoms of spinal cord paralysis. However, intestinal functions, known as the autonomic functions of the body, are disrupted, and a person may face conditions such as severe constipation and diarrhea.
Treatment of Paraplegic Spinal Cord Paralysis
A spinal cord injury is a fairly severe neurological disease that dramatically changes the life of both a person and people in the immediate vicinity, and a large number of medical problems occur after the injury. In the treatment of the disease, first of all, the person's respiratory-related problems, if any, are tried to be eliminated. Paraplegic spinal cord paralysis treatment is a very holistic treatment that focuses on physical and mental rehabilitation and is shaped around this center. The purpose of rehabilitation practices is to prevent and improve additional complications that develop due to spinal cord paralysis, to ensure that the patient reaches the highest possible functional independence, to support him to live a socially October good life and to continue to safely assume age-appropriate social roles.
Early Diagnosis in the Treatment of Paraplegic Spinal Cord Paralysis
In the acute period of the disease, spinal stabilization is provided first and it is tried to prevent new nerve cell damage that may occur after this stage. At this stage, special care needs are required in intensive care units. First of all, a detailed neurological examination of the patient is performed and the patient is evaluated in detail in terms of common complications at an early stage. Appropriate interventions are planned in order to prevent complications that may arise due to the disease in early rehabilitation treatment, to accelerate the healing process of the nervous system and to maximize the functional state of the person after a spinal cord injury. During the subacute period of the disease, patients are usually referred from the intensive care unit to the physical therapy and rehabilitation unit. Muscle and nerve function of the patient is carried to the highest possible level with cushion activities such as short sitting, long sitting, rotation, prone position on elbows and hands November and transfer. First, transition to a wheelchair is provided with transfer boards and after the patient grasps the sitting balance, ambulation training is given with a wheelchair. Since sensory damage is often accompanied at this stage, patients should be taught to use air mattresses in order to avoid pressure-related wounds and should be allowed to stand in the push-up position for about 15 seconds with 30-minute periods.
When planning the treatment of paraplegic spinal cord paralysis, it is necessary to take into account the patient's physical problems as well as psychological and sociological disorders, and to rehabilitate the patient and his family Decently together in case of need. For this reason, it is important that the treatment plan is carried out by an experienced team in the field in such a way as to carefully cover all the needs of the patient. Be careful to choose experienced centers for the effective rehabilitation of paraplegic spinal cord paralysis.