Spinal cord injuries are most often caused by road accidents. Falls, violence, and sports injuries also cause them. A sudden forceful blow fractures the spine or may dislocate vertebrae (the bone disc located within the spine). The smaller fragments and pieces of vertebrae and bone discs tear and bruise the spinal cord and also crush the nerves. When a trauma affects the spinal cord, the electrical impulses cannot pass on between brain and nerves. As the motor signals cannot reach the muscles, paralysis may occur.
Post spinal cord injury (SCI), there may be bleeding, swelling and injury in the spine and the damage may also further increase. Sometimes diseases like infections, inflammation, and cancer also cause spinal cord injury. Earlier the medical condition had the highest fatality rates and also often leads to partial or even complete paralysis. In the modern times, many new therapeutic procedures have evolved, that can successfully treat the disease to greater limit and improve the quality of life of spinal cord injury or SCI patients.
Symptoms of spinal cord injury include loss of body movements, loss of sensations, loss of bladder or bowel control, sexual dysfunctionality or sexual changes and exaggerated spasms and reflexes.
Stem Cell Transplantation
Stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury treatment has multiple benefits for the SCI patients.
Stem cells provide for spinal cord repair by:
● Replacing the dead neural cells that died as a result of SCI.
● Generation and formation of other supportive cells that can form the nerve sheath or myelinate sheath of the axons.
● Protecting the cells from further damage by releasing substances and growth factors.
● Soaking and removing the toxins including free radicals.
● Suppressing and removing inflammation.
Sources of Stem Cells
Stem cells can be easily derived from brain tissue, tooth pulp, the embryonic tissue and other areas for treating SCI.
Recovery and Relief
Stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury in now being actively provided at leading heath care institutions including NeuroGen Brain and Spine Research Institute (NGBSI). Post stem cell therapy, the SCI patient show better trunk control capacity, sitting and standing balance, sensation, spasticity, postural hypotension and bladder control. Hence stem cell therapy improves the mental and physical functionality aspects of SCI patients in the all the injured and affected areas.
The better institutions also offer a complete rehabilitative program for making life better for SCI patients. The program has features like Speech Therapy, Psychologist Counseling, Andrologist Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Music and Dance Therapy, Aquatic Therapy, Yoga Therapy, Motivational Workshops and other therapeutic procedures. Dementia, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke stem cell treatment is also provided at the world class institutions like NGBSI.
