Patients with spinal cord injuries in Homestead and across Florida have more hope now than ever before, thanks to new research. Typically, patients who have suffered a spinal cord injury in a traffic collision in Homestead or through another incident are first treated by emergency personnel. Emergency responders first check to see whether a patient’s heart is beating and whether the patient is breathing. In some spinal cord injury cases, patients need a ventilator or a breathing tube as well as other life-saving treatment because their heart and lungs are affected by the injury.
The second part of treatment for a spinal cord injury is to prevent the patient from moving. Emergency responders at the site of a trucking accident in Homestead or other accident scene will immobilize a spinal cord injury patient by using a backboard and cervical collar before taking the patient to hospital. The immobilization ensures that further movement doesn’t cause additional injury.
At a hospital, doctors will typically work to determine whether a spinal cord injury has occurred. If it has, steroids are usually given within eight hours of the injury in order to decrease swelling and inflammation in order to reduce the amount of damage. In addition, the patient may be immobilized with a halo device, traction, or through some other means in order to provide some stability to the spine.
Many spinal cord injury patients also need surgery for their injuries. Surgery can help remove any pressure on the spinal cord caused by broken vertebrae and can help provide more stability to the spine by adding rods, plates, or metal screws to the affected areas.
After emergency treatment and surgery, spinal cord injury patients usually face a long period of rehabilitation and therapy in order to recapture mobility or in order to deal with reduced mobility. Patients may also be given drug therapy or other forms of treatment to deal with chronic pain and other issues. In addition, patients need to deal with the many complications that can arise with spinal cord injury. These complications include infections, pressure sores, blood clots, and other risks. Patients need to be monitored for these issues and the complications may need to be treated as they arise.
Fortunately, spinal cord injury is the focus of many types of research and it is possible that some day there may be even more advanced options for treating these injuries. For example, a recent study in the journal Brain revealed that one treatment that involved placing electrodes near the spine helped some patients with spinal cord injury recover some control over their limbs – even two years after their initial injury. The therapy involves administering currents of electric energy to an area of the spine just below the site of the injury while the patient works on practicing movement. The initial results are very promising, although researchers say that more testing is needed. In addition to this study, a number of studies have suggested that stem cells could be used to successfully help some personal injury patients in Homestead and other communities recover mobility and motor function.
If you have suffered a spinal cord injury and would like to discuss your options for legal action or compensation, contact Flaxman Law Group to arrange a free accident consultation to discuss your situation with a personal injury attorney. Flaxman Law Group is a full-service law firm with offices in Hollywood, Homestead, and Miami.