Immobilisation
Once the need for resuscitation has been established and attended to if necessary, the person with a suspected spinal cord injury has to be appropriately immobilised. For the first aider […]
Resuscitation
The letter D reminds us to look for danger that might compromise not only the injured person but the first responders as well. At no time should those people attending […]
Management of suspected SCI
The first stage in the management of a suspected spinal cord injury follows the basic life support principles of resuscitation. These are embodied in the initials DRSABC (which stand for […]
Levels of paralysis
Because the spinal-cord is arranged in a hierarchical order from where it exits this skull all the way down to the base of the spine, it is possible to estimate […]
Levels of paralysis (functional)
Because the spinal-cord is arranged in a hierarchical order from where it exits this skull all the way down to the base of the spine, it is possible to estimate […]
Signs and symptoms of SCI
When examining a person who has been involved in an accident, it is important to elicit and document the symptoms and signs they are experiencing. A symptom is something which […]
Suspect SCI…
More specifically, we should suspect spinal cord injury in the following circumstances (amongst others): a high-speed motor vehicle or bike accident especially, where rollover or ejection occurs [...]
High index of suspicion
It is critically important to suspect the occurrence of spinal-cord injury if we are to prevent potentially worsening the condition. It has been estimated that as many as one in […]
Forces on the cervical spine
For the bony vertebrae to be injured, several common forces usually occur in isolation or in combination. In particular, rotation and flexion are well recognised in causing spinal cord injury, [...]
Anatomy
The spinal cord is approximately the thickness of your little finger, and is made up of nerves (also called neurones). These nerves commence in the brain and run in a […]
