Spinal Cord Injury: Recovery Signs

 The recovery process for a spinal cord injury is usually a long and challenging one. It may be hard at first, to notice signs of improvement even after regular treatment, which can be frustrating for the patient. However, it is important to remember that every patient is unique and will recover at their own pace. What is essential, is to continue treatment diligently, practise healthy habits, gather a support system, and remain mentally positive. Here’s a quick guide to what recovering from a spinal cord injury may look like.

Understanding Spinal Cord Injury

A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is any sort of mutilation to the spinal cord that causes reversible or irreversible changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body supplied by the spinal cord below the level of the injury. The nature of the injury, the patient’s medical history, and their age at the time of the spinal cord injury will all determine how soon they will recover. Treatment programs include stem cell therapy, rehabilitation training, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

Recovery process for a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury is a serious incident that can, on occasion, be fatal. Even surviving an SCI, therefore, is a stroke of good luck. The days immediately after an SCI are the most crucial for determining survival and long-term recovery. This period can be highly chaotic. Typically, these are the steps involved.

• Critical care: The first priority is surgery and treatment to address the injury itself and ensure survival. Some patients may need the support of a ventilator. On average, SCI patients stay in the hospital for about 11 days, until they are stable. Afterwards, the doctor and patient work together to chalk out an intensive treatment plan.

• Rehabilitative care: This involves an ongoing period of treatment, often several months or years along, at a rehabilitation center. The objective is to restore as much functionality as possible through targeted physical and occupational therapy. The patient will typically visit the doctor at regular intervals for check-ups. This stage also includes taking precautions against secondary conditions like deep vein thrombosis, pressure ulcers, urinary infections, or respiratory infections like pneumonia.

• Physical therapy: Doctors recommend that SCI patients start physiotherapy as soon as they are able. Targeted exercises and stretches will help restore function and strengthen the muscles in the part of the body, below the injury. Over time, physical therapy rewires the nervous system to restore the brain’s control over the site of the injury. Patients may gradually experience a restoration of function, to the extent that they can walk about on their own with the aid of devices like walkers.

Physical signs of recovery from a Spinal Cord Injury

Those who experience a spinal cord injury will then go through a phase known as ‘spinal shock’. This involves a temporary loss of motor or sensory function beneath the site of the injury, and will typically last between four and six weeks. After this period, the patient’s functions will start to recover and they will have a better idea of how they are doing physically. This is also the time when certain signs of recovery will make themselves evident. Here’s what to watch out for.

• Pain: Feeling pain indicates that the neural circuits are working again. If the pain is unbearable, the doctor may recommend appropriate medication.

• Tingling: Tingles indicate that impulses from sensory receptors are reaching the brain. Continued exercise and training of body parts that are tingling will help to strengthen the neural circuits and improve functionality.

• Spasticity: As the body recovers from the spinal shock, the muscles may experience too many contractions, after having gone flaccid during the period of shock. This can lead to spasticity, which also indicates that the neural circuits are working again. As the patient continues with stretching and physical exercises, the spasticity will resolve itself. 

• Proficiency with assistive devices: As the patient recovers more functionality, their ability to move around with devices like prosthetics or wheelchairs will improve. They may also regain some ability to move below the site of the injury. 

Mental signs of recovery from a Spinal Cord Injury

Living through something as life-changing as an SCI is mentally taxing. Mental and physical health are strongly interconnected and having a healthy mindset is just as crucial as medical care towards recovering. Here are the stages that SCI patients may go through.

• Acceptance: The trauma of the injury itself, combined with the sudden loss of function and the knowledge that healing will take time, makes depression a common occurrence among SCI patients. With the help of a therapist, however, it is essential to accept one’s situation and that it is possible to find happiness despite one’s physical injuries.

• Goal setting: Having clear goals in mind gives the patient something to visualize and work on during therapy and training sessions. It is important not to fixate on only the big goals. Instead, small goals will help patients tune in better to their progress.

• Appreciating the recovery process: Worrying too much about the recovery timeline is mentally taxing and can additionally hamper the recovery process. Rather, a mindset of celebrating even small accomplishments will motivate the patient to keep going. One way of building appreciation is by maintaining a written or video diary of the recovery process to look back on, after treatment ends.

Recovering from a spinal cord injury is a long and hard process, and it is likely that the patient will never recover all of their abilities. It is important, however, to celebrate even the small wins as one benefits from treatment and to be grateful for how far one has come. With the right medical support as well as a resilient set of family members and friends, one can integrate the spinal cord injury into one’s life and still have a fulfilling sense of identity.