Spinal cord trauma

Injury	Diseases	Nutrition	Poison
Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Cauda equina

Vertebra and spinal nerves

Alternative Names

Spinal cord injury; Compression of spinal cord; SCI; Cord compression

Treatment

A spinal cord trauma is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment to reduce the long-term effects. The time between the injury and treatment is a critical factor affecting the eventual outcome.

Corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone or methylprednisolone, are used to reduce swelling that may damage the spinal cord. If spinal cord compression is caused by a mass (such as a hematoma or bony fragment) that can be removed or reduced your spinal nerves are completely destroyed, paralysis may improve. Ideally, corticosteroids should begin as soon as possible after the injury.

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Surgery may be needed to:

Remove fluid or tissue that presses on the spinal cord (decompression laminectomy)
Remove bone fragments, disk fragments, or foreign objects
Fuse broken spinal bones or place spinal braces

Bedrest may be needed to allow the bones of the spine, which bears most of the weight of the body, to heal.

Spinal traction may be recommended. This can help keep the spine from moving. The skull may be held in place with tongs (metal braces placed in the skull and attached to traction weights or to a harness on the body). The spine braces may need to be worn for a long time.

The health care team will also provide information on muscle spasms, care of the skin, and bowel and bladder dysfunction.

Extensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other rehabilitation therapies are often required after the acute injury has healed. Rehabilitation helps the person cope with disability that results from spinal cord injury.

Muscle spasticity can be relieved with medications taken by mouth or injected into the spinal canal. Botox injections into the muscles may also be helpful. Pain killers (analgesics), muscle relaxers, and physical therapy are used to help control pain.