What are the challenges one might face with a serious injury to their

spine?
There is lots of places you can injure your spine at. The higher up the Vertebrae
you injure the worse the injury will be. The highest vertebrae is high-cervical nerves if
you injure this area youre pretty much done for. This section (C1 to C4) is the worst
spot to injure you'll be paralyzed from your neck down and will need assistance for the
rest of your life. Next section is the low-Cervical Nerves. This section (C5 to C8) isnt as
bad but still very serious. After damage to this section you will most likely be totally
paralyzed or lower paralysis. The mid section is called Thoracic vertebrae. People who
injure this section (T1 to T12) will in most cases be able to move upper body but will be
paralyzed from their hips down. They will not have any control over their bowel
movements, and maybe could stand in a brace. The Lumbar Nerves Are next this
section (L1 L5) people usually lose function in their hips or legs. Depending on the
strength of their legs they could walk with braces. Finally Sacral Nerves is the last
section of the vertebrae. This section(S1 to S5) most people can walk or even go to the
bathroom by themselves. Usually wherever you injure your spine at below that will be
paralyzed but there are special cases. (" Understanding Spinal Cord Injury )
There are many challenges people face that have spinal injuries.When you first
injure your spine it might be overwhelming but with rehabilitation you can overcome
problems and develop strategies to make life as normal as possible ("Spinal Cord Injury
Cause"). One of the hardest part of living with a spinal cord injury is the mobility and
adapting to your home life. The reason this is, is because it's a lot of harder to get
somewhere in wheelchair or crutches then it is to walk. Life at home will be difficult
because of this you will not be used to getting around, maybe your door isn't wide
enough or you have stairs they will have to adjust their house fit their new lifestyle ("Life
with a Spinal Cord Injury"). Another challenge is your bladder, even though it works
normally your brain might not be able to send and receive messages from your kidneys
meaning you wont be able to empty your bladder. This could cause infections to your
kidneys or bladder stones. Because of this it would be a good idea to stay on a high
fiber diet. A Huge obstacle for people that got paralyzed is from the spot where they got

injured from down they have little to no nerve sensation. Pretty much this means they
can't feel anything down from there injured so they don't if they're hot or cold or even
hurt themselves. Respiratory system will be affected it might be hard to breath or
cough, your abdominal muscles will be affected the farther down the injury the more
fatal it will be. The physical health of the person will also be at risk they won't be using
their legs, they could experience two different types of muscle tone problems;
uncontrolled tightening or motion in the muscles. It's common for people with these
injuries to become fat from lacking exercise, also Limited mobility may lead to a more
sedentary lifestyle, placing you at risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
People that have spinal injuries will struggle with Sexuality, it might be hard for men to
get a erection and women to get lubricated ( "Spinal Cord Injury Cause"). Spinal cord
injuries can have many causes, but is a result from damage to the vertebrae, ligaments,
or disks of the spinal column or to the spinal cord itself. Injuries such as a gun shot or
getting stabbed will penetrate all the way to the spinal cord. If it has cut the spinal cord it
will cause serious injury.Even if it does not penetrate all the way to the cord, closer it
gets to the spinal cord the worse it gets because it will cause inflammation and swelling
which could cause damage as well ( "Spinal Cord Injuries Complications ). Even if the
injury is traumatic or not, wherever you injure your spine the surrounding muscle areas
are most likely going to be impaired. 35 % of people get spinal cord injuries from car
accidents, 25% from falling(mostly from seniors),15% is caused by acts of violence, and
9% is caused by athletics, the rest is just either born with a disease or a freak accident (
"Spinal Cord Injuries Complications). Living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) can very be
hard emotionally. Emotionally The reason grieving is a problem is because letting your
emotions affect your cause unhealthy decisions and could make you depressed. I think
with all the changes spinal cord injury brings and living with pain causes some people to
experience depression ("Life with a Spinal Cord Injury").
After getting you go through rehab and living your life there is many things people
can do. Some of them can drive or do lots of stuff independently. A big thing people do
is play sports, they can do all most all sports people that use their legs can do,some
examples are basketball, tennis,and even golf.They even have their olympic games. I
dont think regular people should look down on people in wheelchairs because People

in wheelchairs They can do everything people that use their legs do ("Sports and
Competition").

"Levels of Injury." Understanding Spinal Cord Injury. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept.
2015. <http://www.spinalinjury101.org/details/levels-of-injury>.

"Life with a Spinal Cord Injury." eMedicine Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept.
2015. <http://www.emedicinehealth.com/
living_with_a_spinal_cord_injury-health/page10_em.htm>.

"Spinal Cord Injuries Complications."

Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/basics/
complications/con-20023837>.

"Spinal Cord Injury Causes." Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/basics/
causes/con-20023837>.

"Sports and Competition." Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web.
25 Sept. 2015. <http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.mtKZKgMWKwG/
b.4453491/k.6243/Sports_and_Competition.htm>.