Essay On Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord plays a crucial role in the overall function of the body. The spinal cord, which is around 18 inches long, is basically a cluster of nerves that transport signals between the body and the brain. A spinal cord injury is of course devastating, because it can have such long lasting effects. The spinal cord is so important to the body’s overall ability to function that any injury to this area can be debilitating. Of course, the type and severity of the spinal cord injury will affect the long-term outlook of an injury victim.
Two Types of Spinal Cord Injuries:
There are two basic categories when it comes to spinal cord injuries. They are either classified as incomplete or complete. An incomplete injury is an injury to the spinal cord where the cord isn’t completely severed. This type of injury means the area below the injury location will still have some
Spinal cord injuries are so devastating; one would hope that they were rare. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. An estimated 450,000 Americans live with spinal cord injuries. There are another 12,000 injuries that occur each year.
Most Frequent Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries:
There are many types of accidents that can result in a spinal cord injury. However, the majority of them are caused by vehicular accidents. Car wrecks account for around 36% of all spinal cord injuries. Violence is the next most common cause with 28.9 percent and falls are the next most common causing 21.2 percent of all spinal cord injuries.
Dealing With Spinal Cord Injuries Long-Term:
Unfortunately, there is no known cure presently for spinal cord injuries. There are however some treatments that can cut down on swelling, which usually occurs with spinal cord injuries and can result in more injuries. Spinal cord victims can see improvements and might even regain some function they had lost. However, it is rare for injury victims to recover all function after such an