Damage to any part of the spinal cord often results in permanent loss of sensation, strength, and body functions below the site of the damage. This injury affects a person mentally, emotionally and socially.
Causes:
A spinal cord injury occurs from unpredictable accidents or violent incident. Some of which are:
- A violent attack with a heavy object, knife wound or a gunshot
- Hitting the bottom of the pool (head first) while diving from a height
- Trauma to the head, neck and back during a car or road accident
- Falling from a height
- head or spinal injuries during sports events such as football or rugby
Following the injury, the ability to control limbs depends on two factors:
- The site of the injury along the spinal cord
- The severity of the injury
Depending on the severity of the damage, the injury is sub-divided into being either ‘complete’ or ‘incomplete’.
- Complete injury: If the person loses his/her ability to control movement or motor function below the spinal cord injury, then the injury is said to be ‘complete’.
- Incomplete injury: If the person retains some of his/her motor or sensory function below the site of the injury, then this injury is said to be ‘incomplete’.
If a person experiences trauma to his/her head or neck needs immediate medical treatment for a spinal injury.
Spinal cord injury consequently leads to loss of motor and sensory function. Transplantation of stem cells is the sole treatment option available to restores the lost function and to a guarantee an independent life. Stem cells support spinal cord repair with their ability of self-renewal and to develop into any cell type. As these cells can differentiate into neurons,they can replace the cells lost after the spinal injury. Thus, the neuroprotective and axon regeneration effects have attributed to the success of cell transplant for spinal cord injury. Promising results have been obtained from patients treated with stem cells for spinal cord injury at NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute.
Cell treatment for spinal cord injury is done by extracting marrow,using a bone marrow aspiration needle, from a person’s hip bone. The mesenchymal stem cells are then separated from the unwanted tissue with density gradient centrifugation procedure. The separated stem cells are diluted in CSF before they are intrathecally infused into the person’s spinal area. The cells reach the area of damage to activate their repair process, reducing inflammation, protecting the existing cells and also replacing the damaged or lost cells.
Post cell therapy for spinal cord injury, the doctors’ advice their patients to participate in an in-house rehabilitation program at the hospital.They are provided with an occupational therapy program under the guidance of a personal therapist. These therapists work on the skills to regain the lost strength needed to complete everyday activities. They also work on the use of power wheelchair mobility, balance, vision correction and cognition skills, so that the patients return to their work and also meet the social requirement.
