Can You Recover From Damaged Spinal Cord?

Can You Recover From Damaged Spinal Cord? You may know the fact that the spinal cord is a full collection of nerves that expands from the bottom of the brain to the down portion of your back. There is a total of 31 pairs of nerves and they travel towards your arms, chest, abdomen, and legs. These nerves are very much necessary.

These nerves allow and help your brain to give commands to the muscle and for this, your arms and legs move and act. Apart from this, these nerves also control various functions of your organs including lungs, heart, bladder, and bowel systems. So, as you can see, spinal cord injury can damage most of your movements and make you paralyzed also.

But recovery from a damaged spinal cord starts from the hospital. But the extended part of the recovery depends on the severity of the injury. Spinal cord injuries may develop so many problems including blood clots, pressure sores, and all. People with these types of conditions may take a long time to recover from the injury.

Stages of spinal cord recovery:

Here are some sections of spinal cord recovery:

The first stage:

The first stage of recovery will occur after the injury of the spinal cord. In this stage, you need to spend enough time in the hospital. You will have to admit to the critical care unit of the hospital. Sometimes, the patient needs to undergo surgery and all. The doctor will check if the patient’s heartbeat is normal and the airways are clear enough or not.

After that, they will check for the movements. They check if there are any kinds of sensations in the arms and legs or not. The doctor may also use the cervical collar to keep the spinal cord stable.

But to recognize further damage, they may suggest doing a CT scan or MRI. After few days, they will observe you and try to reduce the risk of complications as well. After doing the initial treatment, the doctor will arrange the long-term care after they are stable.

The second stage:

This second stage will shift from the hospital to the rehabilitation center. There, you will get physical and occupational treatments and therapies. It also involves counseling. Above all, some people will need daily checkups during their first year. In some cases, rehabilitation care may continue for so many years. It is for the sake of the patients.

The spinal cord injury patient and their caregivers need to monitor every step of the improvement. They need to check if there are any complications or not. Some people will recover after 18months from the injury and back to life slowly. But in few cases, the patients cannot regain their regular lifestyle after one year of the injury.

Signs of improvement and physical recovery from spinal cord injury:

1. Pain:

While it comes to the recovery from the spinal cord injury then, it is better to feel some pain rather than nothing. The pain will indicate that your neural circuits are working properly. But if you are suffering from severe and unbearable pain after spinal cord injury then, you need to ask your doctor about some medicines. Those medicines will help you to get relief.

2. Spasticity:

The spinal cord injury gives you a spinal shock and trauma. For this, your muscle loses tone and go flaccid. But when your body starts to recover then, the spinal trauma and shock will resolve. Your muscle will tend to become spastic. So, you should not freak out if you notice spasticity. It is a sign to recover from the spinal cord injury. It is just like the pain after spinal cord injury.

3. Tingling:

Mild tingling can give you sensations and the sensory receptors will reach the brain. The slightest tingling is necessary to strengthen the neural path.

Mental signs of recovery from the spinal cord injury:

This should be your big goal. Physical recovery is unsuccessful if you are not mentally prepared and strong enough to fight against this challenge. So, you will have to start thinking positively and get rid of mental blockage.

1. Acceptance:

After the trauma of spinal cord injury, it is tough to get back into normal life. It may also require a lot of changes in lifestyle and regular habits. At first, you need to accept the present condition and situation to move forward after the spinal cord injury.

2. Set the goal:

It is necessary to acknowledge your small recoveries. In this way, you can find joy and feel relaxed. So, you are motivated, positive, hopeful, and all. You need to set big goals. In this way, you will not get time to feel discouraged and quit.

3. Appreciation:

You will have to stay positive and it is a good sign of mental recovery. You may read recovery journals and watch videos to get positive and motivated. While you feel discouraged then, you should read these journals and watch motivational videos as well. You should appreciate your journey and be thankful to yourself. In this way, you can gather confidence as well.

So, as you can see, physical and mental recovery from spinal cord injury is very much necessary. These both are equally important. But overall recovery from the spinal cord injury depends on the severity of the injury. This injury involves long-term care and treatment. The treatment will start after the injury.

But after some time, exercise is very much necessary. You need to do regular exercise to recover quickly. You will have to follow some basic rules after the surgery and take your medicines regularly. If you are active physically then, you can get back into normal life very quickly without wasting any time.

Can You Recover From Damaged Spinal Cord? – Conclusion :

Above all, mental stability and positivity are the most important things for these patients. You need to be positive and stay focused. You cannot lose hope and demotivate. You will have to see life with a new view and understanding. You need to change your lifestyle for a better future. Nowadays, the advancement of medical treatment will give you better care and ensure success as well.