Spine Stabilization Surgery…Is It The Right Choice For Your Injury?If you have suffered a terrible back or neck injury from a fall or an accident, you may require an emergency spinal stabilization surgery. Many spinal chord injuries cause severe pain, permanent disability and in worst cases, paralysis from the injury site down. Often times, once the initial swelling of the injury goes down, feeling and mobility returns; however, with many injuries, the swelling does not bring relief and surgery will be required. While a total cure for paralysis has not yet been found, scientists and researchers are making magnificent leaps in their studies. So far, discoveries have been made to help people with severe spinal chord injuries lead happy, healthy and productive lives. A prime candidate for spine stabilization surgery is one who has a partial spinal chord injury and has the ability to send some messages from the injury to the brain stem and back again. They also have some feeling and mobility below the injured site. The causes of these injuries are ones that result in a sudden blow to the spinal area which fractures, crushes or damages the spinal chord. Some of the causes of these injuries are from automobile accidents, sports injuries, falls or acts of violence. If your spinal injury is the result of a car accident, paramedics will rush you to the nearest trauma center hospital to determine the severity of your injuries. A long series of tests will be conducted such as; a CAT scan, MRI, X-ray, and a myelography which gives the doctor the ability to visualize the spinal nerves and injuries more clearly. The patient may be given high doses of a controversial drug called Medrol, which given within the first eight hours of the spinal injury may help prevent further paralysis. Over the next few days, you will be observed and evaluated by the hospital staff as they wait for your spinal swelling to go down and to see how much, if any, mobility has returned to your extremities and below the injury site. A neurological exam will take place at this time as well. At this point, they will make the determination whether or not spinal stabilization surgery will be the most beneficial for you to help rehabilitate your spinal injuries. Spinal stabilization surgery is performed to remove broken fragments of bone or herniated disks that are putting added pressure on your spinal column. The surgery is done so that the spine can be stabilized to prevent further injury or damage in the future. Many doctors believe that the surgery should be done immediately after the injury has occurred, while others believe that waiting to see how much the swelling goes down after the first initial days is of greater benefit to the patient. Regardless of the severity of your spinal injuries, be sure to get a second opinion from a competent doctor so you know going into your surgery that you are making the best choice possible for yourself and your injury.
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