Diagnosing a Brain Injury

The effects of traumatic brain injuries can worsen swiftly without treatment, so doctors and other medical personnel need to assess the injury rapidly. Diagnosing a brain injury involves looking for signs of damage to the brain, either through scanning devices like computerized tomography (CT scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), and X-rays, or through screening-tests and scoring-systems that measure a person’s speech, movement, memory, and thought. Glasgow Coma Scale The Glasgow Coma...
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Classifying a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury can be classified by level or by type. The level of injury describes the location of the injury and what parts of the body are affected while the injury type describes the degree of damage. Level of Spinal Cord Injury The level of spinal-cord injury refers to the location along the spinal cord where the injury occurred and also indicates which body parts are most likely to experience a loss of movement and/or sensation. The level of injury is designated by a letter-number ...
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Living with a Spinal Cord Injury

Adjusting to the effects of a spinal cord injury is difficult; in addition to the physical limitations and challenge of learning how to compensate for abilities that have permanently changed, there’s also an emotional and psychological impact from losing independence, having to rely on others for activities of daily living, and suffering from chronic conditions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpn6HtywuZ4 Some of the complications a SCI survivor may experience include loss of control over ...
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Spinal Cord Injury Treatment & Rehabilitation

Unfortunately there’s no way to reverse damage to the spinal cord; treatment for a spinal cord injury focuses on preventing further damage and empowering the injured person to have an active and productive life. Emergency & Hospital Care Treatment for a spinal cord injury often begins at the scene of the accident; paramedics will act to stabilize the injured person’s heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and other vital stats. To prevent further injury, the person’s head and neck may ...
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Diagnosing Spinal Cord Injury

Diagnosing a spinal cord injury begins during emergency treatment and usually requires subsequent neurological exams; X-rays, CT scans, and/or MRIs may be administered to determine the level and completeness of the injury. The level of injury refers to the location along the spinal cord where the injury occurred and indicates which parts of the body may be affected. The completeness of the injury refers to the extent of damage to the spinal cord and indicates the degree of paralysis (full or...
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