For the Health if It: Spine injury and treatment

Tyler Ryan and Hima Dalal discuss injuries to the spine and ways treatment can help ease the pain and return to movement

LEXINGTON SC (WOLO) – A spinal cord injury often causes permanent or partial loss of strength, sensation & function below the site of injury, depending on complete or incomplete lesion.

According to Vital Energy’s Hima Dalal, a common causes of spinal cord injury are accident, fall, sports injury, cancer, tumor, neurological conditions, congenital deformities, etc.  Patients may experience extreme back pain, pressure in neck, head, back, weakness in coordination, numbness, tingling, muscle spasm, loss of bowel or bladder control, etc. Depression, anger and frustration
are other major issues these patients face along with dependency with activities of daily living (A.D.L.), home making, financial, work issues and loss of sexual function in most of the cases.

Teams of doctors, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, psychological help, and family support, together, helps the patient to become functional and independent using adaptive devices as needed. Physical and Occupational therapist teams help patients, teaching functional transfers, safety, wheelchair fitting, muscle strengthening in remaining muscles, coordination, sitting, standing and balance activity as tolerated.

Occupational therapists help with functional independence with self care, ADLs, homemaking, education with resources available for adaptive devices. Crystal Myofascial Release treatment, invented by Hima Dalal, has helped patients with partial lesion to stimulate nerves and help with muscle innervation to improve functional strength.

Aquatic therapy has also been a very helpful modality to increase muscle strength, standing balance and core strength in appropriate clients.