Cure for paraplegia

Synonyms in a broader sense

Cross-sectional syndrome, cross-sectional healing, transverse syndrome

Medical: Paraplegia, (spinales)

English: paraplegia, transverse lesion

Therapy of paraplegia

In the acute phase, the focus is on healing the spinal shock of paraplegia. The patients should be placed in the intensive care unit so that the heart, circulation and other organs can be constantly monitored.

In principle, the healing is aimed at Paraplegia according to their underlying cause, of course. The spinal cord injury was caused by a Vertebral fracture is triggered, an operation is usually performed to correct the vertebral body or remove pressing elements. If there is an inflammatory process, the cure is to use medication (for example with cortisone or as part of the Multiple sclerosis with a special treatment plan) to get the inflammation under control.

Areas of Backmarks, which have already been destroyed by paraplegia, could not be influenced by the therapies / healing so far, since damage to the annoy is irreversible. However, there are current clinical studies aimed at developing drugs that are hoped to help regenerate the Neurons favor. The lasting effects of paraplegia due to spinal cord damage usually show up after about six to eight weeks.

Stem cell therapy

Stem cells are cells in the body that have not yet specialized (differentiated) for a certain function or for a certain localization. They are available as raw material, so to speak, and from this state can transform into many different cells.

Theoretically, it is possible to take stem cells from the nervous system and use them in the therapy of damaged nerve tissue. However, there are several problems with this. The removal is a dangerous surgical procedure because the stem cells have to be removed from the walls of the brain's ventricular system, which is filled with nerve water. In addition, there are not many such cells in the body, which makes it difficult to obtain sufficient amounts of stem cells.

Normally in this case the cells can be multiplied in the laboratory, but here too the situation is complicated by the low rate of division (speed of cell multiplication) of the neural stem cells. Stem cell therapy is the subject of ongoing research; however, the process will probably take a few more years.

Is it possible to cure incomplete paraplegia?

In principle, an incomplete paraplegia has the same chances of recovery as a complete one. The term incomplete only describes that e.g. the right / left half or the front / back part of the spinal cord is damaged, but not the entire cross-section.

The symptoms of diseases with incomplete paraplegia (Brown-Séquard syndrome or anterior spinal artery syndrome) are different or incomplete - but the degree of damage is the same. Even in the case of incomplete paraplegia, it can be assumed that the course of the disease is largely dependent on the progress made in the first few weeks of treatment.

What are the chances of recovery?

The chances of recovery from paraplegia are rather low. Overall, the prognosis depends on the degree of damage to the spinal cord and on individual factors.

For example, if the cause is traumatic (accident-related), the lesion should be treated surgically as soon as possible.

In the case of invasive causes, such as tumors or bleeding, immediate relief can also have a positive effect on the course of the disease. The immediate consequence of damage is spinal shock, which in some cases can recede completely or incompletely.

It is assumed that there is hope for an improvement in the symptoms if the symptoms of paralysis (plegia) subside within a week. Rehabilitation can then be intensified at an early stage in order to achieve partial remission (partial healing) or even complete healing. However, since this is a rather rare form and the nervous system reacts very sensitively to damage, psychotherapeutic treatment must be started early to make it easier for the patient to deal with the permanent consequential damage.

rehabilitation

Complete paraplegia means that the patient is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their life.
Rehabilitation measures are therefore primarily aimed at regaining the maximum possible independence for the patient. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are particularly important here. These include massages, swimming and, above all, physiotherapy.
With the help of certain exercises, the muscles that are still functioning are trained and muscles that are actually paralyzed can sometimes learn new movements if individual nerves are still undamaged. However, this requires intensive and often long-term training.

Due to the bladder disorder resulting from the impaired autonomic nervous system, many paraplegics are dependent on a urinary catheter. Either you change the catheter yourself several times a day or you use an indwelling catheter that only needs to be changed every three to four weeks.

Furthermore, one naturally tries to prevent any form of consequential damage, such as the stiffening of joints or bedsores.

In order to make everyday life easier for the patient, various aids are used in cases of paraplegia, such as the wheelchair, the stairlift, special cutlery or individually adapted home furnishings. In addition, psychological support is usually necessary, at least in the initial phase of paraplegia.