According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), about 17,900 people sustain a spinal cord injury each year. Causes for these injuries include:
- Automobile accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
- Illness, such as cancer or osteoporosis
- Gunshot
Spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis, preventing people from working or having an active role in taking care of themselves and their families. If you or a loved one suffered a spine injury, our chiropractors at Specific Care Chiropractic are here to help.
We offer Cape Coral spine injury treatment to patients to restore functionality and/or reduce pain stemming from the injury site.
Spinal-Related Injuries Can Cause Complete or Incomplete Paralysis in the Body
If you sustain a spinal cord injury, your injury falls under one of two categories:
Complete Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries that result in total paralysis are labeled “complete.” However, victims do not have to lose function in their whole body to have a complete spinal injury. Rather, total paralysis can involve:
- Quadriplegia: Patients who get injured along the cervical area of the spine may experience total paralysis below the neck, losing function in all four of their limbs and torso.
- Paraplegia: Patients who get injured further down along the spinal cord may experience total paralysis in their body’s lower half but may still be able to move their arms and upper torso.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries labeled “incomplete” suggest that victims may lose mobility and function in one part or side of the body but still retain neural communication with the rest of their body. For example, an individual may lose their ability to move their left arm and leg, but they can still write and perform limited actions with their right arm and leg.
Understanding whether your spine injury is complete or incomplete will dictate what goals you have with your treatment plan. Our physicians will examine your condition, then discuss realistic expectations to have for your treatment.
This could involve restoring functionality in a part of your body or exercising limbs to maintain good blood flow and muscle retention.
Chiropractic Adjustments Can Allow Patients to Realign Their Spine and Relieve pain
Spinal manipulation, or chiropractic adjustments, is used to help patients realign their spinal cord. This can be effective if part of the injury involves disk herniation, nerve damage, or inflammation between vertebrae. Our physicians utilize different technique styles in their chiropractic care to address each patient’s unique needs. Our team’s goal is to deliver relief and healing.
Our chiropractic adjustments techniques include:
- Diversified
- Extremity manipulation
- Thompson Drop-Table Technique
- Side posture
- Seated diversified
- Toggle recoil
- Sacral-Occipital Technique (SOT)
- Activator
Each technique style involves strategic thrusts into target areas of the spinal cord to relieve pain and reposition vertebrae and joints into proper alignment. Our physicians also remain transparent in the care they give. So, they can explain their techniques before or as they perform them to let you understand the purpose of your treatment.
Physiotherapy Helps Patients Regain Strength and Mobility During Rehabilitation
For people with spinal cord injuries, we often pair physiotherapy with chiropractic care to encourage thorough healing. Spinal Cord published a report about how physiotherapy in treatment improved the involved parties’ muscle strength. This can be a key goal for many patients who have total paralysis in certain parts of their bodies.
At Specific Care Chiropractic, our physiotherapy techniques include:
Corrective Care
Patients who get chiropractic adjustments often require multiple sessions to continue realigning the spinal cord properly. As such, our physicians will apply corrective care based on how your body receives each adjustment.
Flare-ups of pain are common and should be communicated with your chiropractor so that they can apply proper corrective care.
Massage Therapy
Your medical team may use this therapy at the end of your session to allow your muscles to relax. Patients may receive deep tissue massage to encourage better blood flow, tissue repair, and flexibility. Patients who suffer from headaches may also find relief.
Ultrasound Therapy
This therapy utilizes ultrasound technology to shoot sound waves into your muscles and restore damaged tissue. If your spinal cord injury resulted in severe scarring, this therapy could also help break down scar tissue to encourage healing.
Rehabilitation Therapy
Rehabilitation therapy involves implementing safe exercises to allow your body to regain stability and balance. Depending on your range of functions, you may perform different exercises in our Rehab Room and use different tools we offer, such as the Vibration Plate.
Electrical Muscle Stimulation (E-STIM) Therapy
E-STIM therapy, like ultrasound therapy, involves shooting electric pulses into the body to target damaged muscle tissue. If you suffered a spine injury because of a sports accident and now experience muscle spasms, this therapy could reduce that effect.
Stretching and Strengthening Exercise Therapy
This therapy involves learning different exercises you can practice at our facility and your home. As your body heals over time, we may increase the difficulty level of these exercises. This way, you can rebuild muscle or regain flexibility in your limbs and torso.
What We Consider When Building Your Treatment Plan
Before going through any of these therapies, our physicians will perform a physical exam to measure:
- Your current and possible range of motion
- The severity of your spine injury
- Whether illness or other comorbidities affect your injury’s progress
- Whether your injury affects your nerves, joints, or other parts of your body besides the spinal cord
Your first appointment will primarily involve:
- Diagnosing the severity of your injury
- Reviewing your medical history
- Getting an X-ray exam
During your next appointment, one of our physicians can discuss how they plan to treat you over the next few weeks or months based on your injury.
Get Cape Coral Spine Injury Treatment at Specific Care Chiropractic
You do not have to keep living with the pain of a spinal injury, as there are treatments that can target inflamed areas in your spine and relieve you. Our chiropractors at Specific Care Chiropractic are licensed to perform spinal manipulation and physiotherapy for spine-related injuries. We can help if you have a herniated disk or a lower back injury caused by years of labor.
Come visit our Cape Coral location on Del Prado Boulevard for your first appointment, and our physicians can get started on your treatment plan. Call 239-369-9109 to set up your appointment today.