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If you are looking for information on spinal injuries in Australia, you’ve come to the right place.
In this website, we will talk about everything that you need to know about spinal cord injuries. As a former SEO Singapore Consultant, I will try to provide you with the best and latest information on spinal cord injuries in Australia.
A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma. What makes a spinal cord injury different from other spinal cord problems is that a SCI is not brought about by any disease.
The damages sustained here vary a lot on where the spinal cord or nerve roots were hit or affected.
Spinal Cord Injuries in Australia Statistics
In Australia, you would be surprised to know that SCIs are fairly common.
Here is some information you will get from the Spinal Injuries Association:
- In Queensland, around 90 spinal cord injuries are sustained every year. On average, that’s one person every four days who has had their life turned upside down. In Australia, nearly 400 people sustain a spinal cord injury every year.
- It is estimated that 9,000 people in Australia have a spinal cord injury.
- A spinal cord injury doesn’t just mean loss of the ability to walk. Other areas of the body are affected including: cardiovascular, respiratory, bladder and bowel function, sexual function, temperature control, and loss of touch and feeling.
- The most common age to sustain a spinal cord injury is between the ages of 15 and 30, which accounts for, on average, 42% of all people who sustain a spinal cord injury. (Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service (QSCIS) 2006)
- Four times more men sustain a spinal cord injury than women.
- In Queensland, the majority of traumatic (as opposed to disease-related) spinal cord injuries (nearly 40%) are typically sustained as a result of road trauma, followed by falls/crushes and water accidents. (QSCIS 2006)
- Throughout Australia in 2005-2006, transport-related injuries represented 46% of all traumatic spinal cord injuries. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Cripps, R A 2007)
- Other causes of spinal cord injuries include sporting accidents (eg. horse riding, football and gymnastics) and non-traumatic reasons (eg. disease).
- Approximately 50% of spinal cord injuries result in paraplegia and the other 50% result in quadriplegia.
- The proportion of people with disabilities globally is rising and now stands at 1 billion, accounting for 15 per cent of the world’s population, according to the first official global report on disability.
Now, you don’t need accelerated learning lessons to realize that spinal cord injuries are something that must be given more importance to.
Common Causes of SCI
Every day, accidents happen. And these accidents are actually the leading cause of spinal cord injuries. In a study of the SCIs that happened in 2008, there different causes for SCIs were divided into two categories: traffic and non-traffic.
Now, in 2008, it shows that 22% of SCIs are caused by motor vehicle traffic accidents.
The next leading cause of spinal cord injuries in Australia, 18% to be exact, is caused by high falls such (falling from a location 1 meter and up). There are many causes for these high falls:
- Home activities
- Alcohol consumption or intoxication
- Slips and trips
- Medical conditions (dizziness or cardiovascular conditions)
The study also showed that SCIs were most frequent in the 15- 24 year age groups. But in the year 2008, there was a significant increase in the average age at injury from 38 years (in 1996) to 42 years old.
It also showed that 84% of SCI sufferers were male and that 46% of all injuries are transport-related injuries.
SCI Treatment and Diagnosis
How is a spinal cord injury treated?
Note that the following information here aren’t supposed to replace any doctor treatment or appointments! These are all also only applicable if you know and have confirmed that you or your loved one has a spinal cord injury.
Now, the first thing that you can expect when you’ve been diagnosed with a SCI is that you would be given steroids. Steroids help in decreasing the extent of the damage to your spinal cord. With steroids, you could reduce the inflammation and swelling of the spinal cord.
Of course, there are some risks involved in using steroids for SCI so make sure that you would only have it if your doctor prescribed it. Besides, the use of steroids is only beneficial at the first eight hours of the injury.
Sometimes, a patient is placed in a traction or a halo device (placed around the head) to stabilize the spine and to prevent and further damages from occurring.
In many cases, a spinal cord injury is treated through surgery and there are two reasons for that.
- Relieve pressure on spinal cord.
- Stabilization of the spine.
SCI is a very serious condition but you can minimize its effects or damages if you consult your doctor and avoid, at all costs, self-medication.
Possible SCI Complications
Since SCI is a very delicate condition, there are many potential and possible complications that may arise. All these may require separate treatments so be sure to ask your doctor- not the Internet, not a quack doctor or a friend or a SEO Singapore Company or whatever- ask your doctor about it:
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
- Urinary Incontinence (inability to control urine flow)
- Bowel Incontinence (inability to control bowel movements)
- Pressure sores
- Pneumonia or other lung infections
- Blood clots
- Muscle spasms
- Chronic pain
- Depression
Avoiding SCI
To avoid a spinal cord injury, of course, the golden rule is to just really be careful. There are many different ways to get a SCI so you need to be always watchful, especially when you’re driving or when you’re in slippery or high places.
Basically, the best way to avoid SCI, given that a big percentage of it is caused by traffic-related incidents, is to practice safe driving habits. Never drive when you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You should always wear your seatbelt and make sure that everyone in the car is wearing theirs too.