What is being done to find a
cure?
Imagine yourself as healthy as
you could possible be and the next minute being completely
paralyzed and helpless as a baby? This is the way I found myself
one week after my accident. When I came to my senses in Penrose
Hospital, Colorado Springs, CO, the first thing I remember is
being asked, "can you feel this, how about this". The neurosurgeon
was sticking my lower extremities with a stick pin. I told him I
could not feel any of the pricks. He then told me that I had
broken my neck and was paralyzed. Okay, I thought? How long will
it take to fix it? I soon found out, there is NO CURE for a spinal
cord injury (SCI).
Spinal cord injury continues to be a major cause of paralysis,
particularly among young people involved in vehicle-related
trauma, falls, and sports injuries. My spinal cord injury occurred
during October of 1994 while hunting in Colorado. I ran off the
side of a mountain while riding a 4-wheeler back to the camp. The
fall was about 25 feet down; I landed on my head which broke my
neck at the C5-C6 area which is just above the shoulders. A break
at this level has left me paralyzed from the chest down, and is
called quadriplegia, thus termed a C5-C6 Quad.
Quadriplegia is the term used for describing a person with a
spinal cord injury in the Cervical area of the neck
(see
diagram). It
usually involves a person whom has had vertebra damage of some
type to the C1-C8 sections of the neck which resulted in damage to
the spinal cord. Christopher Reeves, who broke his neck when he
was thrown from his horse is labeled a C1-C2 Quadriplegic. This
level is right at the base of his head.
In contrast, an injury causing damage to the spinal cord at a
level lower than the Cervical area is called a paraplegic
(see
diagram). This
generally results in complete paralysis of the lower half of the
body including both legs.
How many patients are injured each year at a particular neurologic
level? The most frequent injury level is C5, followed by C4, C6,
T12, and L1. Overall about half are cervical injuries and half are
either thoracic, lumbar, or sacral injuries.
Although research advances appear to be a long way from clinical
treatments, recent studies on animals (poor rats) have indicated
new possibilities for recovery of some function. New findings on
the use of neurotrophic factors, antibodies to inhibitory
molecules, electrical stimulation, and transplantation of
peripheral nerves and olfactory glial cells are beginning to show
signs of success in achieving some level of functional
recovery.
The National
Spinal Cord Injury
Association
Resource Center (NSCIRC) provides the best information and
referral that I have found on any subject related to spinal cord
injury. Contact the resource center at 1-800-962-9629 or refer to
the web sites listed below for additional information.
More information can be found a the following sites on the Internet.
Cure Paralysis Now "Frequently Asked Questions"
Cure Paralysis Now "Spinal Cord Injury: The Statistical Picture"
Electrologic of America, Inc. - Excellent source for current information
Last updated 07/10/2003