Damage to the spinal cord is referred to as a spinal cord injury. The soft bundle of nerves that extends from the base of the brain to the lower back area is the spinal cord. It runs through a tunnel formed by holes in the bones of the spine known as the 
spinal canal. Your spine helps protect the spinal cord.
The spinal cord carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body, which allows a person to carry out various movements and to feel sensation. An injury to the spinal cord will stop the flow of messages that are carried below the site of injury. If the injury is closer to the brain, more of your body is going to be affected. Injury to the neck can affect the arms, chest, and legs (quadriplegia). Injury to the middle of the back usually affects the legs (paraplegia).
An injury of the spinal cord may be complete or may be incomplete. Someone who does not have any feeling or movement below the site of the injury is someone who has a complete injury. In situations where some feeling or movement in the affected area is felt, it is considered as an incomplete injury.
There are many things that can cause a spinal cord injury. This is something that normally happens because of a sudden severe blow to the spine. In a lot of cases it is caused by a fall, a gunshot, a car accident, or maybe even a sporting accident. Sometimes it is something such as a birth defect known as spina-bifida, or the spinal cord may be damaged by infection or spinal stenosis.
Treatment is ordinarily started right away at the hospital to prevent any further damage to the spine and spinal cord. Steroids are normally given to help reduce swelling of the spinal cord. There are several tests that this type of injury may involve and include a CT scan, an ultrasound of the kidneys, an X-ray of the spine, or an MRI. These tests may be repeated over time to check on a person’s progress and check on how they are doing.
A person will need to be tested to see how they respond to pinpricks and light touch to the body a few days after the injury occurred. They will be asked by a medical professional to move several different parts of the body. They will also be testing the strength of the person’s muscles. The tests that doctors run will help them figure out how severe the injury is and how likely it is for an individual to regain feeling and movement. The first 6 months are when the most recovery occurs. This is when a person is likely to see the most progress in their recovery. They may even notice that they are regaining some feeling below the site of injury. Rehabilitation will start as soon as the patient is stable. The main goal of rehab is to prepare a patient for life after rehab, as well as to help them become independent again.
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