Medical advances help spinal cord injury patients heal faster

Injuries come and go for many New Haven residents. The human body is designed to heal from many of these injuries including cuts, bruises and sprain muscles but for some injuries, healing is not an option. One of the worst injuries to sustain is a spinal cord injury. Many victims have to face being confined to a wheel chair for the rest of their life while others have limited mobility.

However, through breakthrough medical advances, some spinal cord injury victims may be able to heal faster and better than before.

Improvements in spinal cord injuries treatments has recently helped a 41-year-old man go from being paralyzed to now being able to move his arms after just 12 days of suffering from a spinal cord injury. The injury occurred to the man while he was at work operating a forklift. After hitting his head on a forklift rail, the 41-year-old broke his neck and pinched his spinal cord leaving him paralyzed. After doctors started injecting the man with three shots a day of a synthetic molecule, the man is now able move his arms, something doctors told him would not happen this soon for his type of injury.

The synthetic molecules are aimed to decrease the secondary injury and drastically promote recovery. The molecule prevents cell death after the injury leading to an increase in recovery time. While it may not be an instant recovery, it can show improvements early on in the 28 day treatment. This treatment may soon be available to most individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury. While the process is not cheap, it can be paid for entirely or greatly reduced depending on insurance coverage or where the accident occurred.

New Haven residents who have suffered a spinal cord injury from a work accident, medical malpractice aftermath or a car accident may find that they qualify for compensation of their injuries.

Source: NBC Bay Area, “Research Aimed at Helping Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries Gain Mobility,” Marianne Favro, June 15, 2013