Saturday, July 23, 2011

Spinal Injury Toronto Can Be A Life Changer

By Rachelle Thornton


The body, like any machine, has a structural base that everything is built upon. The skeletal system acts as both a scaffold and protective mechanism for some areas of the body. The rib cage protects two of the most important organs in the body, the heart and lungs and the spinal column protects what the spinal cord. This cord is the length of nerve fibers that extend downward from the brain stem and acts as the central nervous system. Without the 31 vertebrae that surround these delicate fibers, the ability to transmit impulses outward would be easily impaired or terminated. Spinal injury Toronto can have a number of adverse health effects.

The location and severity of an injury determines the outcome. The 31 bones can be separated in terms of the areas that they specifically protect. The upper seven protect the neck, the following 12 are associated with the upper and middle back, the following 5 deal with the lower back and the remaining five include the sacrum and tailbone.

Because of the cord's participation in nerve transmission, depending on the injury this transmission can be interrupted or severed. The statistics involving these kind of injuries are fairly low and affect only about thirty people per million. This, however, does not diminish the severity of the issue.

Dealing with a cord issue can cost upwards of three million dollars over a lifetime. The most common cause of trauma is associated with car accidents and if the trauma is severe enough, it can lead to total or partial paralysis.

Severing the spinal cord is extremely rare and more often, issues are related to the fact that blows to the body cause the vertebrae to damage and it is these cracks in the bone that can tear into the nerve fibers within. It's important to immediate medical attention which can be the difference between a complete and incomplete injury.

The difference between the two types of trauma relate to the ability of the body to be able to signal. With complete, there is no sensation below where the wound occurred and incomplete can have some sensation or movement below the area that was hurt.

There are a number of preventative steps that you can take to reduce your risk of spinal injury. The most important thing you can do in a car is to wear a seat belt; it can be the difference between walking away sore and bruised, and having to be in a wheelchair for life.




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