Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function such as movement or feeling. Frequent causes of damage are trauma (car accident, gunshot, falls, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia, etc.). The spinal cord does not have to be cut in order for a person to lose feeling and/or movement. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal cord is damaged and results in loss of feeling and/or movement. Evaluation by a pediatric physiatrist or rehabilitation therapist may offer an individualized treatment plan for management of the injury or secondary complications, such as muscle spasm, Heterotopic Ossification (HO), dependent edema, autonomic dysreflexia and/or skin integrity.