Spinal Cord is the downward continuation or extension of the central nervous system (CNS) from the brain to the back of the body. it is composed of long nerve cells that run to about 15-17 inches down the back to the waist. The vertebrae are 33 in number and consist of the bones that make up the backbone of the human. These bones surround the nerve cells (spinal cord) which branch out into nerve roots between the vertebrae. The nerve roots further extend as peripheral nerves to the rest of the body.

 An injury to the spinal cord is the result of a sudden severe impact to the spine which leads to dislocation of the vertebrae and also fracturing it. Although most injuries to the spinal cord don’t completely break it down, but indirectly affect the vertebrae which encloses the axons, i.e. the extension of the nerve fibres that are responsible for the relay of information in the body.

The major emergency symptoms that are indicative that a person has had a spinal cord injury are

-                                                                              An oddly positioned neck or a twist in the neck

-                                                                              Loss of bladder control

-                                                                              Impaired breathing post injury

-                                                                              Difficulty with balance

-                                                                              Unable to walk

-                                                                              Paralysis in any part of the body

-                                                                              Loss of sensation in the fingers, toes

A spinal cord injury might also happen as a result of some other complication and not necessarily a blow to the spinal cord. Diseases like arthritis, cancer, inflammation, bleeding or disk degeneration of the spine are all factors leading ultimately to a non traumatic spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injuries can be classified into 2 types depending on their functional capability post treatment. A complete injury is indicative of a lack of sensory and motor function below the level of injury. Chronic plain, respiratory problems, heart problems, bladder and bowel dysfunctions are some of the medical complications that a person has to face after a complete injury. Recovery is slow and is also dependant on the capability of the patient to handle such everyday chronic conditions. An incomplete injury (partial injury) enables the patient to retain some of the motor or sensory function below the level of injury. With the aid of supportive devices, the patient is capable of resuming some of the normal activities.

The location of the injury in the spinal cord determines the extent of paralysis that a patient would face. If the injury is in the neck region, the possibility of both the arms and legs to be paralysed along with respiratory problems is higher, than if the injury was at a lower region.

It is essential to treat a spinal cord injury with utmost emergency. Aggressive treatment combined with positive rehabilitation facility has shown to reduce the damage to the nervous system and even lead to restoration of certain abilities. A steroid drug, Methyprednisolone has been researched to reduce the severity of damage to the nerve cells if it is administered within 8 hours of injury.