Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
NTRehab physiotherapy service offers home visits for patients who have spinal cord injuries.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
Your spine is made of many bones called vertebrae. Your spinal cord runs downward through a canal in the centre of these bones. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body for movement and sensation.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord is damaged. This may me due to an accident such as a fall or sporting accident or due to a disease such as an infection that causes an abscess on the spinal cord or transverse myelitis.
- A complete injury means that there is no movement or feeling below the level of the injury.
- An incomplete injury means that there is still some degree of feeling or movement below the level of the injury.
What are the symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury?
This will depend on the level of the damage to the spinal cord.- Quadriplegia is loss of function in the arms and legs.
- Paraplegia is loss of function in the legs and lower body.
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of voluntary muscle movement in the chest, arms, or legs
- Breathing problems
- Loss of feeling in the chest, arms, or legs
- Loss of bowel and bladder function
How can physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapy Spinal Cord Injury treatment can help people suffering in a number of ways:- Exercise programmes to build strength and stamina and to improve range of movement at stiff joints.
- Hands on therapy to encourage normal patterns of movement. This is based on the ‘Bobath Concept’.
- Advice on spasticity management
- Pain management
- Advice on postural management
- Treatment of foot-drop, for example advice on splints or muscle stimulation.
- Advice on equipment, for example standing frames, transfer aids and exo-skeletons.
- Rehabilitation to improve functional abilities eg transfers
- Advice and support to get back into local community, eg gyms, hydrotherapy, etc
Where do we cover?
NT Rehab offers specialist physiotherapy across a wide geographical area, including:
Want to know more?
If you or a loved one has a spinal cord injury and is in need of specialist physiotherapy in the Midlands, get in touch with us today.
External Resources
Patient Stories
Some of Our Specialist Physiotherapists ...
Paula
Paula is a senior Physiotherapist with over 20 years experience and is dedicated to helping people who have suffered a spinal cord injury to reach their potential.
Paula has undertaken postgraduate training to develop her skills which include Bobath Concept, electrical muscle stimulation, splinting and casting.
She is a member of ACPIN and covers areas around Solihull, Birmingham and Leamington Spa.
Clair
Clair is a highly skilled neurological physiotherapist with over 20 years’ experience. She is an enthusiastic advocate for ensuring that those people affected by neurological deficits, including spinal cord injury, are provided with high-quality, evidence-based and highly specialist care throughout their recovery.
Clair has undertaken extensive post graduate training to develop specialist skills including functional electrical stimulation, hydrotherapy, splinting, Bobath training and spasticity management.
Clair covers Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Lichfield, Tamworth and the surrounding areas.
