Mitigate The Effects Of Spinal Cord Injuries on Your Life With Metro Pain Centers
Metro Pain Centers provides its patients with exemplary services that can manage long-term conditions that can trigger pain and affect regular movement. Spinal cord injuries are a serious matter that can greatly affect your way of life as you know it, and our team can provide the latest techniques in pain management and healthcare.
Every year, around 17,810 people in the United States experience accidents that cause irreversible damage to their spinal cord. Many people talk about the medical aspects of spinal cord injuries, but not many people talk about both the short-term and long-term lifestyle changes spinal cord injury patients have to make in their lives, especially when it comes to rehabilitation and pain management. At Metro Pain Centers, we pride ourselves on the comprehensive treatment plans we provide our patients with to mitigate pain and improve their quality of life.
If you are experiencing difficulties adjusting to the changes in your routine due to your acute spinal cord injury, contact us today for a consultation. Our team has the expertise in various fields, state-of-the-art facilities, and the latest techniques in medicine to provide a multidisciplinary treatment plan that can ease the effects of acute spinal injuries and help you live your best life.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries
Your spinal cord protects nerves that connect your brain to the rest of your body. This allows your brain to trigger events like muscle movement, involuntary reactions to pain and other stimuli, and other bodily functions.
When you’re caught in a traumatic accident that causes spinal trauma, it can also damage your nerves and block your brain’s messages to certain parts of your body. Traumatic spinal cord injury can prevent you from moving certain parts of your body or from feeling certain sensations.
Spinal cord injuries can’t be cured. However, there are steps you can take to mitigate the pain, prevent future complications due to your injuries, and live a comfortable and fulfilling life in spite of your condition. At Metro Pain Centers, we can provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan customized to your needs to help you do all this while readjusting your lifestyle with the help of modern technology and practices that can minimize the hurdles of spinal cord injuries.
Can Spinal Cord Injuries Be Treated?
A doctor can use physical and neurological exams to rule out spinal cord injury. If a patient shows signs of spinal injury or isn’t fully awake, the doctor can undergo tests, including x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. The doctor may then try to stabilize the patient’s condition to prevent further injuries that can worsen the patient’s state.
Unfortunately, spinal cord injuries are irreversible and can be a life-long condition. However, there is hope for the future that medical innovations can improve nerve cell regeneration or nerve function in the future. In the meantime, patients undergo spinal cord injury treatment like spinal surgery to prevent further injury, physical medicine, and spinal cord injury rehabilitation to adapt to their condition before returning to their everyday life.
Why Finding The Right Spinal Cord Injury Specialist Is Essential For Proper Care
Spinal cord injuries are a serious type of physical trauma that can permanently affect your life and normal routine. After your injuries are stabilized, the risks of health complications like muscle contractures, pressure ulcers, and bowel and bladder issues are still present. Thus, you’ll have to undergo physical medicine, rehabilitation and physical therapy to help you relearn your motor skills and adapt your day-to-day routine to your new condition.
The right spinal cord injury specialist goes beyond just making sure you can survive with your condition and the risk of complications. More than just pain medication and ways to prevent future complications, they understand that overcoming your injury means managing debilitating pain and using the latest technology and practices in a multi-pronged treatment plan that can help you thrive and rebuild your life despite your circumstances.
Many spinal cord injury patients manage to live a fulfilling lifestyle. Through consistent physical therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and working with the best spinal cord injury specialist, they can slowly rebuild and improve the quality of their life, return to their school or workplace, and either choose to go back to their favorite hobbies and interests or find new interests and activities to focus on.
Preventive Treatment For Spinal Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are often the result of accidents and traumatic events, so there is no certain way to prevent it. There are, however, ways to reduce the severity of the spinal cord injury during certain activities. These include:
- Drive safely. Do not drive any vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Avoid driving in inclement weather to avoid getting into an accident. Vehicular accidents are one of the most common ways people receive spinal injuries.
- Wear a seatbelt and make sure your car’s airbags are working. A study presented to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that the severity of spinal cord injuries for patients who had both seatbelts and airbags were less severe compared to those who used only one of these safety devices and those who had neither at the time of their accident.
- Take steps to secure your home from falls. If you have stairs in your property, use non-slip strips and install handrails to make it safer.
- Wear proper protective gear while playing sports. Sports-related injuries make up for around 8.7% of all new cases of spinal cord injuries in the United States. The sports with the highest risk of spinal cord injuries include football, ice hockey, wrestling, diving, skiing, snowboarding, rugby, and cheerleading. Wearing quality protective gear can mitigate your injuries during an accident.
- Avoid diving in shallow areas. Examine the diving spot first to make sure it is deep enough and is free of underwater rocks.
FAQs About Spinal Cord Injuries
Q: How do you make treatment plans for spinal cord injury patients?
A: Our individualized treatments are based on age and the extent of your spinal cord injury. We use a combination of multidisciplinary methods to help you get past the learning curve of re-learning your motor skills and ways to adapt your daily routine.
Q: What new technologies are available for people with spinal cord injuries?
A: Our patients get a multidisciplinary treatment plan, including the use of technologies that can improve their quality of life. This can include modern, electric wheelchairs, smart home devices, electrical stimulation devices, and more. We can customize your treatment plan based on your condition and needs.
Q: What is the prognosis of people with spinal cord injuries?
A: Recovery periods can vary depending on the severity of your spinal cord injuries. Some patients can recover within the first 6 months, while those with more severe injuries can take up to 2 years to recover.
Live Your Life To The Fullest And See A Spinal Injury Specialist At Metro Pain Centers Today
Spinal cord injuries may significantly affect your current lifestyle, but it doesn’t have to stop you from leading a fulfilling life. At Metro Pain Centers, we are fully-equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a team of medical professionals that can help you manage your pain and facilitate physical therapy to relearn your motor skills. Our treatments can relieve pain, improve your mobility, and help you adjust to and overcome the challenges of your injuries.
Let’s discuss an individualized treatment plan that can help improve the quality of your life. Contact Metro Pain Centers today to request an appointment.
