Spinal Cord Injuries

What Are Spinal Cord Injuries?

Spinal cord injuries occur as a result of damage to the nerve tissue within the spine due to trauma, disease, or vascular causes. Depending on the level of injury and whether it is complete (full disruption) or incomplete (partial), patients may experience varying degrees of loss of movement, loss of sensation, and involvement of the autonomic nervous system. Neck-level injuries can result in tetraplegia (involvement of 4 limbs), while lumbar-level injuries can result in paraplegia (involvement of both legs).

Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

• Traffic accidents
• Falls from height
• Sports injuries (diving, windsurfing, etc.)
• Gunshot wounds and penetrating/cutting trauma
• Tumours and spinal metastases
• Spinal infections (spondylodiscitis)
• Vascular events (spinal infarction)

Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation at ROMMER

Following a spinal cord injury, rehabilitation is planned to maximise the patient's remaining neurological potential, prevent complications, and develop independent living skills. ROMMER's multidisciplinary team manages the following components together:

• Physical Strengthening Programme: An intensive exercise programme is implemented to strengthen preserved muscle groups and develop upper limb independence.
• Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES): Electrical stimulation to dysfunctional muscles supports both strength and cardiovascular conditioning.
• Robotic Gait Training: Intensive gait rehabilitation stimulating neural plasticity is applied with robotic devices.
• Occupational Therapy and Daily Living Training: Wheelchair use, transfer techniques, bathroom/toilet independence, and home adaptation are provided.
• Respiratory Rehabilitation: Strengthening of respiratory muscles and secretion management are planned especially for high cervical injuries.
• Neurogenic Bladder-Bowel Management: In collaboration with urology and gastroenterology, an intermittent catheterisation, nutrition, and bowel training programme is implemented.
• Psychosocial Support: Psychiatric and clinical psychology support is provided to help patients and their families cope with the psychological burden of injury.

Neurological Recovery and Expectations

The majority of neurological recovery occurs within the first 6–12 months; therefore, intensive early-phase rehabilitation is the most critical period. In incomplete injuries, the potential for functional gain is higher. In complete injuries, the goal is to develop independent living skills, prevent complications, and maintain quality of life. At ROMMER, realistic and achievable goals are set for each patient, progress is measured regularly, and the programme is updated accordingly.