Spinal Cord Injury Free Essay Example

Each year thousands in the U. S. experience damage to the nerve bundles that carry messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Studies show about 12,000 spinal cords injuries occur in the United States each year. About 262. 000 Americans live with spinal cord injury. The average age used to be age 29, statistic now show age 40. There are several causes of spinal cord injury between 1990 -2003. The vast majority are caused by trauma to the back or neck. Vehicle Accidents -41.

3%. Compared to Falls at 27. 3%, Violence Acts–at 15% such as gunshots are the most common case.

Unknown 8. 5% and Sports 7. 9%. The spinal cord injury is most often caused by trama, tumors, disease, and other conditions also can be responsible. The injury nerve cells in the spinal cord to die or become permanently damage. There are treatments most commonly used the steroid methylprednisolone shot s to reduce inflammation. Another treatment is to inject cold saline into the spine to induce hypothermia, studies of this techniques still pending.

Brain researchers are working on ways to regrow nerve connections lost in spinal cord injury, hoping this will be a complete cure.

Researchers are also working on options to prevent or repair axon damage. Axon are the long, thin extensions that connect nerve cells together, they are needed to help a person regain most abilities, including walking. Apoptosis which is a process of cell suicide, called a death of cell, scientists are testing several neuroprotective chemicals that might shield nerve cells from such death. Other therapies are intense rehabilitation, electrical stimulation, neuroplasticity, treatment therapy and stem cells.

Research that could lead to medical techniques: That can stem the increasing damage that occurs in weeks, following a spinal cord injury. New treatments that can repair damaged nerve cells. And cause new cell to grow, and restoring lost function. Advance therapies that create new movement circuits and prosthetic devices that can activate them in a controllable fashion. So research has come to a new beginning in studying ways of spinal cord injury hopefully it will give a lot of people their lives back.

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers.

Get your custom essay

Helping students since 2015