Even a minor spinal cord injury is serious enough to alter your life in many ways. This is why it's so important to receive immediate medical treatment.
The way one person is treated for a spinal cord injury will not be exactly the same as another. However, there are some treatment methods that typically come into play. These include the following:
- Immobilization. This may be required in order to stabilize your spine, all with the idea of preventing additional, and future, injuries.
- Medication. There is no medication that can directly heal a spinal cord injury, but there are some that can help during the recovery process.
- Surgery. It's not always necessary, but some types of spinal cord injuries require surgery, e.g., to remove bone fragments or repair herniated discs.
Along with the above, experimental treatments are gaining ground. Scientists and doctors continue to search for innovative ways to treat spinal cord injuries, like methods for promoting nerve regeneration. While these treatments aren't available at every facility, anyone dealing with this type of injury may want to explore all possible treatment options.
If you have any reason to believe you're dealing with a spinal cord injury, regardless of the extent, don't hesitate to seek medical care. With diagnostic tools like MRIs, CT scans and x-rays, your medical team can get a better idea of what's going on.
Once your injury has been diagnosed and a treatment plan is determined, you can then learn more about the accident, including the cause and the steps you can take to protect your legal rights.
Source: Mayo Clinic, "Spinal cord injury," accessed June 11, 2018