The Techniques Used By Emergency Medical Services

Now that I have shared a brief overview of the spinal cord and some statistics about spinal cord injuries, we will look at the past research that has led to the treatments most commonly used today. In 1990, a steroid called dexamethasone was discovered in human trials to preserve some motor and sensory function if administered at high doses within 8 hours of injury. Surgery used to remove fluid, tissue, or bone fragments, or to stabilize fractured vertebrae by fusing bones or inserting hardware has also proven to be one of the most thorough measures to prevent further harm. I received both of these treatments after my accident, and they are the same that have been used for the past decade. Until recently, doctors had no way of limiting such disabilities, aside from stabilizing the cord to prevent added destruction, treating infections, and prescribing rehabilitative therapy to maximize any remaining capabilities.

Football is known as the most popular sport in America. But, little people know about the “Silent Killer.” Football injuries are all too common, one of which being Spinal Cord Injuries. Nobody understands how devastating Spinal Cord Injuries can actually be, until it’s too late.

After researching about paraplegic and quadriplegic, it has been determined how they occur and in what parts of the body they affect. According to John Hopkins Medical, if a person suffers with paraplegic or quadriplegic, it is caused by damage to the spinal cord. To determine whether a person has a spinal injury, doctors will use clinical signs to help determine the severity of the injury. When the spinal cord has been injured, the patient might feel pain, and some disorders; such as motor or sensory. When this occurs, it allows the doctor to determine the cause of the injury, however; most spinal injuries are caused by traumatic accidents. The two

Five criteria must be met which includes authority, information, objectivity, ease of navigation and privacy and security policies. The website used for my research was www.christopherreeve.org. The website met the five criteria. Authority was displayed in several ways. The author, Judith Lubinsky is qualified as an expert in the spinal cord injury field. Judith is responsible for web production and social media for the website. The contact information and credentials for the author was clearly stated. Information is updated daily to keep readers informed of any changes. The information posted is accurate and appropriate for the intended audience. The author provides an unbiased comprehensive review of spinal cord injuries and management. The sponsor for the website is The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The source of funding does not have an impact on the information provided. The website provides easy navigation with reliable information, treatment options, clinical trials and ways to get involved. The website provided clear privacy and security

Benita Hexter and Sue Paddison are clinical specialist physiotherapists at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre, part of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in Stanmore, Middlesex.

Spinal cord injury is a serious problem that effects close to 250,000 people in the United States with 10,000 people being injured per year . There are many things that can lead to spinal cord injury, including athletic injuries, car accidents, and recreational activities like swimming and biking. It primarily effects those between the ages of 16 and 30 and drastically effects the rest of their lives. It is a very debilitating injury that requires extensive medical care, often leaves the patients in a great deal of pain for the rest of their lives(2), and the treatment of which costs $10 billion dollars a year in the US.(facts from site 1) With all of these factors spurring research on there is a strong drive to

Spinal immobilization has been a common practice in Emergency Medical Services. The act of spinal immobilization is normally used when a patient has suffered a significant trauma. Spinal immobilization consists of securing the body to a rigid, long spinal board, securing the neck with a cervical collar, and then lastly, securing the head to the board between towels or wedges. Initially starting with the effectiveness of backboarding, continuing into the vital functions that backbaording can impede and finalizing with the vacuum mattress versus the traditional backboard. Ultimately, spinal immobilization of all trauma patients can do more harm than good, and all cases should not be fully immobilized.

On examination, she was moving all four limbs spontaneously, and there was no evidence of neurological deficit. However, she avoided head movement, choosing to look sideways with her eyes, and cried on palpation of her spinous processes. Marked soft tissue swelling on the neck and torso from the seat restraints was noted, along with a bruise on her cheek. Slack and Clancy (2004) state that patients with an injury above the clavicles and all patients involved in high speed vehicular accidents should be assumed to have a spinal injury.

Once immobilized patients are transported to a higher level of care where they remain immobilized until cleared by a physician typically with the use of x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging. Substantial evidence that this prolonged immobilization on a spine board has potentially negative consequences and may lead to major discomfort for the patient. Various studies have cited the development of pressure sores, inadequate spinal support (in case of dislocated spinal fractures), pain and discomfort, compromised respiratory status, and poor quality of radiologic imaging (Lubbert, Schram,& Leenen, 2005). Other studies add to growing list of negative effects related to spinal immobilization. Included in this list is that immobilized patients are

Luckily, there's another option: spinal decompression. This simple technique performed by a chiropractor can help relieve your pain and symptoms. Spinal decompression offers many benefits, including these fpur:

Over the last several years there have been challenges in the various state legislatures against the physical therapy profession via legislation promoted by chiropractors attempting to prohibit the PT scope of practice since its inception. Manipulation techniques are manual (hands on) skilled passive movement treatment techniques used by Physical Therapists, Physicians, Osteopaths and Chiropractors. Chiropractors argue that physical therapists are not trained to practice TJM; Chiropractors also claim that manipulation provided by PTs place the public at risk for serious injury. Cervical spine manipulation techniques pose a risk of adverse effects that range from mild soreness to severe neurovascular injury. Adverse reactions to cervical spine manipulation may include a temporary increase in neck pain, radiating arm pain, headache, dizziness, impaired vision, or ringing in the ears.25 Although minor temporary adverse reactions to cervical spine manipulation are fairly common, catastrophic complications from cervical manipulation are extremely rare.

It is appreciated that the given case study contains other factors such as psychological trauma and the impact of blood loss. However this essay is going to explore the efficacy of pre hospital immobilisation utilising cervical collars and extrication/ orthopaedic stretchers, reflecting on an account from the paramedic’s practice. A modified framework of Gibbs Reflective cycle (1988) will be used. Including Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Conclusion and Action Plan. This essay is supported throughout using relevant evidence and seminal work.

The examination of clinician behavior is an intriguing view on the situation. The dominant perspective of spinal surgery has developed as the golden standard for scoliosis patients. In contrast, the author was able collect high level studies that promote exercises as a form of

A 26-year-old female with a desk job that required her to sit for more than eight hours daily met with an accident. The metal footrest of a passing vehicle hit her foot, causing her ankle to swell up immediately. She experienced extreme pain and couldn’t put any weight on her left foot. She also experienced slight dizziness due to the shock of the pain. A friend accompanying her suggested she visit Spinalogy Clinic, where he had had a positive experience on an earlier visit.

A review of the literature regarding spinal immobilisation has been undertaken using databases for PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, OVID and Cochrane EBM. Reviews were electronically searched using the subject headings “spinal injuries”, “spinal immobilisation” and “management of spinal injuries”. The results generated by the search were limited to English language articles and reviewed for relevance to the topic. The aim of this literature review is to compare and contrast the views on spinal immobilisation and to achieve a better knowledge of evidence based practice.