Every year, thousands of people face “spinal paralysis” as a result of traffic accidents, jumping into the sea and sports injuries.
Spinal cord paralysis, which occurs as a result of the spinal cord losing its functions due to trauma, affects thousands of people every year in Turkey. Spinal paralysis can occur mostly as a result of jumping into the sea, traffic accidents and sports injuries. In this type of accidents, there is also a high rate of loss of life as a result of spinal cord injuries.
Social Awareness Condition
Persons injured as a result of accidents must be taken to well-equipped trauma centers. “According to studies, traffic accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord paralysis. More than fifty percent of spinal cord injuries are caused by traffic accidents. Especially not obeying the traffic rules and incorrectly fastening the seat belt are the biggest reasons for this.
Unfortunately, we often see very painful examples of this in our country. Likewise, jumping headlong into the shallow sea in summer can also cause spinal cord paralysis. It is vital to inform the public about these issues. We need to increase social awareness against such accidents in our country.
Protect yourself first
While in traffic, it is necessary to wear the seat belt properly and strictly follow the traffic rules.
In addition, after traffic accidents, casualties should be transported to hospitals in ways that protect their spines. Shallow pool and sea should not be jumped overhead. Necessary precautions should be taken while doing sports, protective helmets and apparatus should be used appropriately, and it should be ensured that it is safe when jumping from a height.
Is Treatment Possible in Spinal Cord Paralysis?
After the spinal cord is injured, it goes through a period of shock that can last from a few hours to 6 weeks. It can sometimes be difficult to determine the extent to which the spinal cord is damaged during this shock. Bleeding and swelling into the spinal cord caused by the first impact can repair itself over time. If the spinal cord is not completely injured, a person may show signs of recovery up to 2 years after the injury date, but the more time passes, the less chance of recovery. Patients with spinal cord paralysis should be under the control of rehabilitation clinics. These patients should never stop their exercises and medical controls.
Stem Cell Revolution
In spinal cord injuries; Nerve fibers that come from the brain and pass through the spinal cord to our muscles are injured. In the medical world, there is no drug treatment that can easily cure patients who apply to emergency clinics with spinal cord injury and stroke. However, experts say that there are many interventions that can help these patients recover in the hospital.
Stem cell therapy, which has become a frequently preferred treatment method in different branches of medicine with the developing technology, has also started to be used in the treatment of spinal cord paralysis. The aim of stem cell therapy is to give stem cells to the patient and ensure that these cells settle in the injured spinal cord area, can live and turn into injured cells. Of course, the main purpose of these cells is to ensure that they are able to transmit news from the spinal cord to the brain and muscles. In this way, patients can move again and feel their arms and legs.
