3 Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Options We’ll Be Watching in 2020

Spinal cord injury treatment options are improving every year. What treatments are showing the most promise? Here are three options that we are going to be keeping an eye on in 2020 to see what kind of results patients can attain. 

#1 Improving Blood Flow and Surgical Timing 

The first promising spinal cord injury treatment is already in place at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG). There are two critical elements that are helping the trauma team to get some spinal cord injury patients up and walking again. 

1. Artificially creating the optimal blood pressure – When it comes to healing, you can’t overstate the importance of blood flow. This is how the body gets blood cells, oxygen, and other critical elements to the site of the injury. Researchers at ZSFG have found that the best way to promote healing is to measure the injured person’s blood flow, specifically in the spine, and then artificially increase the blood pressure accordingly. This gets the blood pressure and flow up to what it should typically be in the patient’s spine without risking cardiovascular damage.  
2. Performing the surgery as soon as possible – Current protocols call surgery within 48 hours of the injury early or immediate surgery. However, the doctors at ZSFG want the patient on the table within 12 hours, and the sooner, the better. 

One patient, who had suffered a spinal injury while surfboarding at a nearby beach, had his blood pressure regulated and surgery performed within mere hours of the accident. He was grateful for the care he received when he took his first steps about six weeks later. Neurologists from other facilities are already contacting ZSFG to learn more.

#2 Rehabilitation for SCI Injuries with the Assistance of Health Apps 

Another emerging spinal cord injury treatment involves rehabilitation with the assistance of modern technology. In fact, a recent study involving 20 SCI patients of varying ages put this to the test. All of the patients in the study were receiving their rehabilitation at an inpatient unit. The health app was customized to provide 25 total tools, seven of which performed core operations while the other 18 specifically apply to the recovery of SCI patients. 

What were some of the functions of the app that specifically applied to the rehabilitation of SCI survivors? Patients were able to use the app to track their symptoms, vital signs, moods, and experiences. It even functioned as a journal of sorts. There were educational features regarding the assessment of skin condition, a managing tool for bowel and bladder function, and reminders to perform physical activity as possible. 

Patients found the app helpful, and this is clear from the fact that 85% of users continued utilizing the app throughout stays that averaged 67 days. That is a high retention rating for an app of any sort. In some cases, the patients had the assistance of a caregiver to access the app due to the loss of hand function. 

While this particular app is yet to be released publicly, the study reveals that there is a definite need for health apps that specifically relate to spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation. 

#3 Electrical Stimulation as Spinal Cord Injury Treatment 

The Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Center has been using electrical stimulation to activate muscles. They use a gait rehabilitation machine called G-EO. Muscle stimulation can help some patients to regain muscle use. However, even for patients who cannot restore use, the G-EO machine helps to improve circulation by simulating the motion of walking for the body. 

The machine both helps maximize any potential use that patients will get from the lower limbs as well as improving coordination and balance by creating a natural gait. This system has allowed some patients with partial paralysis to go from being in a wheelchair full-time to having some mobility and even being able to restore walking. 

Electric stimulation and a gait rehabilitation machine are also both in use at iAM ABLE in Miami, Florida. We are proud to use the Lokomat that we received as a donation to our facility as our gait rehabilitation device. This is helping many spinal cord injury patients in southern Florida to improve function and reach their maximum potential and quality of life. 

Additionally, researchers in Dubai are looking into stem cell use. In Dubai, it is not legal to harvest stem cells from embryos, so they are using cells harvested from bone marrow. Since these cells have proven valuable in helping patients with chronic musculoskeletal health problems, it is something that every corner of the rehabilitation field is looking into. The hope is that this stem cell research may be able to help restore damaged muscles, tendons, and ligaments. 

You Too Can Thrive After Paralysis 

While there are a number of promising spinal cord injury treatment options emerging, one of the best ways to thrive after paralysis is to accept your new challenges and take control of the situation. In the book 7 Unbelievably Important Steps to Take to Thrive After Paralysis, you can learn how to get control over your new circumstances so as to improve the quality of your life rapidly. Follow this link and enter your email address to get a copy of this life-changing book.

This is just one of the many ways that iAM ABLE is working to help paralysis patients to thrive in southern Florida and across the globe. Read the book now to learn how to take control of your situation for good.

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