SPINAL SURGERY

SPINAL TRAUMA

A spinal cord injury is treated as a medical emergency as damage to any part of the spinal cord, or central nervous system can cause permanent loss of sensory and motor functioning below the site of the injury.

Car accidents are the main cause of spinal injuries, however, the trauma to the spine may also be caused by a sudden, traumatic blow to your spine from an assault, sports injury or fall. These injuries may fracture, dislocate, crush or compress the vertebrae of the spine, causing damage to the spinal column or to the spinal cord itself. Furthermore, bleeding, swelling, inflammation and fluid accumulation in and around your spinal cord after trauma can also be problematic.

CLASSIFICATION OF SPINAL TRAUMA

Depending on the type of trauma, the severity of the injury will be classified according to symptoms experienced. In cases of trauma, Dr Setati will quickly evaluate the trauma and classify the injury as a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury. A complete injury produces a total loss of all motor and sensory function below the level of injury while an incomplete injury may only affect some aspects of functioning.

TREATMENT

The treatment of a spinal cord injury will then largely depend on the anatomy of the injury. It may involve immobilisation of the neck and back for weeks or months to ensure adequate healing or surgical decompression and/or fusion (with or without internal bracing) in an attempt to optimise outcome. For those who have experienced a spinal cord injury, in addition to treatment, rehabilitation may be necessary.