Unlike the other parts of the body, the spinal cord is sensitive to injury since it can't repair itself. The spinal cord plays a significant role in the body as it is composed of at least 31 pairs of nerve endings. The nerves from the lower part of the spinal cord give commands to muscles which control the movement of the legs and arms. The nerves also control the abdomen and chest. This control happens from the upper part of the spinal cord.
The spinal cord is enclosed by the spinal canal which is surrounded by the backbone. The backbone is made of vertebrae bones which run from the neck to the lower back.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury can range from a mild injury which is just compression of the spinal cord, a moderate injury which involves the rupture of the spinal cord to severe which is a full separation of the spinal cord.
Spinal cord injury can be brought about by various causes. However, trauma is the most common cause. There are various types of trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, gunshots, falling from heights, violence among other factors.
However, cases of infection and inflammation of the Spinal cord have also been attributed to Spinal cord injury.
How to recover from Spinal cord Injury
After Injury, the lesser the initial nerve loss, the faster the recovery. The first success of recovery is surviving the accident. If you survived the accident, you are already on your way to recovery. The immediate step after survival is to slow down the inflammation of the surrounding tissues of the spinal cord. Inflammation slows down the healing process and should be eradicated to ensure healing is smooth and quick.
The inflammation can be controlled through cold therapy and physical therapy.
Cold therapy
Just as physics states, an increase in temperature causes expansion while a decrease in temperature causes constriction. When low temperatures are applied to the inflamed area, the blood vessels around the area in turn constrict. As a result, very little blood flows to the inflamed area, and this reduces swelling.
The low temperatures also keep the surrounding cells alive and healthy since low temperatures result in low cell metabolism and cell death. The nerve endings also get less receptive to pain. Therefore, the cold therapy is effective in stopping inflammation fastening the recovery process.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy involves exercising the muscles around the spinal cord to strengthen them and improve their flexibility. The strengthened muscles will, in turn, support the spine and cause quick recovery.
In addition to reducing inflammation on the spinal area, physical therapy also aids in;
- Faster recovery to any surgery done on the injured area
- Helps to regain sensation on the affected area
- In case of wheelchair use, physical therapy aids in coordination
Stem cell treatment
After suppressing any inflammation and swelling of the affected area, spinal cord injury stem cell is the most efficient and modern way of spinal injury treatment.
Why stem cells?
Stem cells unlike other types of cells can differentiate. Differentiating cells can be differentiated to various kinds of cells. They are also renewable. Additionally, to offer neuroprotection, stem cells produce substances such as the growth factor, cytokine and trophic factor.
The three types of stem cells that can be used for spinal cord injury stem cell include;
• Mesenchymal stem cells- these stem cells prevent cell death by preventing inflammation
• Peripheral stem cells- this cells act as replacement cells and to aid the growth of the cells in the affected area, they produce the nerve growth factor.
• Embryonic stem cells- Embryonic stem cells just like the Mesenchymal stem cells aid cell growth and reduce any inflammatory responses on the affected area.
How the stem cells work
The stem cells are grafted into the spinal cord without affecting the immune system either by aggravation or reducing it. When the immune system is not affected, the cells will have a long term survival rate without causing a tumor in the affected area.
For instance, the peripheral stem cells found on the skin can be induced to neural precursor cells. The cells will eventually turn to nerve cells. This is because the stem cells are syngeneic-genetically similar with the cell grafting. As a result, they are immunologically compatible. Due to the compatibility, the cells will differentiate normally with no immunosuppression medication needed. This brings about the recovery of the injured spinal cord.