“Effects of a spinal cord injury? ”
My friends dad had a heavy piece of metal fall on his back and now has a spinal cord injury. It has been 2 weeks and he can still not walk. How long is the recovery? Is there treatment for his spine?
3 Answers
Sorry to hear about your friend's dad. There are different kinds of spinal cord injuries, so depend on the level and the extent of the damage to his spine, I don't have enough information to tell you his prognosis for walking again. 2 weeks is still early. He may still be in spinal shock.
Difficult to say with this information. I suggest you find a spinal cord injury specialist in your community. Here is a great link on how to find one:https://members.aapmr.org/AAPMR/AAPMR_FINDER.aspx
Golly, not very nice. You do not say where the Injury is in the spinal cord. There are normally two types: one is complete, the other incomplete. However, I do not want to alarm you. These injuries can take a long time to heal The first year is the hardest.
Did he bruise the spinal cord? Does he have paralysis? Has he had an MRI to find out the type of spinal cord injury he has? The sooner treatment is implemented, the better. The location of his injury will determine his prognosis and his mental health is a huge part of getting him to feel better. Often, patients suffer from depression, so emotional support is key.
Physical therapy is very important and sometimes steroid injections to reduce inflammation. Stem cells are used in Europe and some clinics are involved in the US, but this treatment is still being studied. These cells have the ability to regenerate damaged tissue. I would have the family look into this treatment. There are a number of sports medicine clinics doing this treatment. However, in the US, it is not covered through insurance. Other forms of treatment are spinal laser therapy and shock wave therapy. It is a long haul unfortunately, and getting his team of doctors to ascertain the best treatment plan is very important.
Did he bruise the spinal cord? Does he have paralysis? Has he had an MRI to find out the type of spinal cord injury he has? The sooner treatment is implemented, the better. The location of his injury will determine his prognosis and his mental health is a huge part of getting him to feel better. Often, patients suffer from depression, so emotional support is key.
Physical therapy is very important and sometimes steroid injections to reduce inflammation. Stem cells are used in Europe and some clinics are involved in the US, but this treatment is still being studied. These cells have the ability to regenerate damaged tissue. I would have the family look into this treatment. There are a number of sports medicine clinics doing this treatment. However, in the US, it is not covered through insurance. Other forms of treatment are spinal laser therapy and shock wave therapy. It is a long haul unfortunately, and getting his team of doctors to ascertain the best treatment plan is very important.
