Spinal Surgery

Spinal injuries happen to a lot of people, but that doesn’t make them an easier to deal with when they happen to you. Every year, around 12,000 Americans need treatment for spinal cord injuries, and at least 300,000 live with the long-term effects of a spinal cord injury. The results of a spinal cord injury can be total or partial paralysis, but even if you suffer one, you have options

Our neurology team includes a wide range for specialists who may help with the treatment of spinal cord injuries, from neurologists and neurosurgeons to physical therapists and psychologists.

There are two types of spinal cord injury:

• Complete injury means there is no function below the level of the injury and both sides of the body are equally affected.
• Incomplete injury means that there is some function below the level of the injury—movement in one limb more than the other, feeling in parts of the body, or more function on one side of the body than the other.

What causes spinal cord injury?

Any condition or event that puts the spine at risk can be the cause of a spinal cord injury. Most commonly it happens as the result of an accident that bends or twists the neck or spine, and that can happen from:

• Birth injuries, which usually affect the spinal cord in the neck area
• Falls
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Sports injuries
• Diving accidents
• Trampoline accidents
• Violence, including penetrating injuries such as gunshots and stab wounds