Sushrut-Spine-Conditions

Spine Trauma Surgery

Spinal trauma or spinal cord trauma is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical care. If left untreated, it may cause long-term effects. Mild to moderate injuries can be cured with medications and other treatments. Surgery is generally performed in the following cases:

To remove tissue or fluid that presses on the spinal cord
To fuse broken spinal bones or place spinal braces
To remove disk fragments, bone fragments, or foreign objects
To realign the spinal bones
To release pressure from the injured area

The spine is one of the most crucial and delicate parts of the human body that may get injured due to various activities like accidents, sports injuries, falls, violence, etc. Although the spine is well protected by discs, ligaments, and muscles, but is still vulnerable to traumatic injury as the rest of the skeletal system.

The spinal cord contains the nerves and passes from neck to back to transfer messages between the brain and body. So any injury to the spine can cause loss of movement (paralysis) below the site of the injury. Any kind of damage to the spinal cord either directly or indirectly due to damage of vertebrae, ligaments, or disks of the spinal column is termed spinal cord trauma. Such damage often causes permanent changes in strength, sensation and other body functions.

Classification of Spinal Trauma :

Spinal trauma can be classified under the following:

· Thoracic (chest level) injuries

· Lumbo-sacral (lower back) injuries

· Cervical (neck) injuries Diagnosis of Spinal cord injury It is an emergency condition that requires immediate medical care and evaluation of the damage.

Causes of Spinal cord trauma :

The spinal cord may get injured due to any of the following reasons:

· A sudden, traumatic blow to the spine resulting in fracture, dislocation, crush, or compression of one or more vertebrae

· Motor vehicle accidents

· Sports and recreation injuries

· Assault or other acts of violence

· Fall from a great height

· Landing on the head during a sports injury

· Gunshot or knife wounds that can penetrate and cut the spinal cord

· Diving accident

· Electric shock

· Extreme twisting of the middle of the body

· Disorders like arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections or disk degeneration of the spine may also injure the spinal cord (non-traumatic injury)

Risk factors of Spinal cord trauma :

Although trauma can happen to anyone the following risk factors may predispose a person to spinal cord trauma:

· Males are affected more than females

· Age between 16 and 30 years or above 65 years

· Engaging in risky activities like driving or playing without safety etc.

· A bone or joint disorder such as arthritis or osteoporosis

· Weak individual

Symptoms of Spinal cord trauma :

The symptoms of spinal cord trauma may vary depending upon the location, type, and severity (complete or partial) of the injury and include: · Loss of movement · Loss of sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold, and touch

· Loss of bowel or bladder control

· Pain, stiffness or stinging sensation due to damage of nerve fibers

· Numbness in hands, fingers, feet or toes

· Weakness & incoordination

· Paralysis of part or whole body

· Lack of alertness

· Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms

· Difficulty in walking, standing, breathing, coughing, etc.

Diagnosis :

This requires a thorough physical examination by the physician along with the following diagnostic tests:

· X-ray

· CT scan

· MRI scan

· Myelogram

· Somatosensory evoked potential testing or magnetic stimulation, etc.

Surgery for spinal trauma is most commonly done by endoscopy or minimally invasive techniques that require only local anesthesia. These are safer and faster techniques that allow early healing with less damage.

There is a number of surgical options for spinal cord injury depending on the location, severity, and type of the injury. But before narrowing down on the surgery, various diagnostic tests are performed to thoroughly understand the abnormality and have a clear image of injury. The diagnostic tests include X-ray, CT scan, and MRI, etc. of the spine. If the injury is not severe, the surgeon may suggest non-surgical treatment but in severe cases, the surgeon opts for any of the following surgeries to treat spinal cord injury:

Post-operative care

It is very important to take proper care as the surgery is done in one of the most important parts of the human body. Follow-up therapies and medications will be based on the kind and severity of the surgery.