A healthy spinal cord is central to a fully functioning human body. It enables the person to move, to feel touch, pressure and temperature and to control their bodily functions. It is essentially the go between for the brain to the rest of the body, the telephone cable for the neurological messages that enable a person to live able-bodied. An injury to this 'cable', therefore, usually results in dire consequences.

Many SCI cases occur through direct trauma, such as a fall or an act of violence, where the spinal bones crush, bruise or cut the fleshy cord they surround. SCI can also occur through so called 'non-traumatic' causes such as virus, infection and haemorrhage within the cord.

Problems for life

A spinal cord injury is permanent and disabling. The severity of the disability varies from injury to injury depending on the area and/or extent of the damage. However, most SCI will result in paralysis, loss of sensation and lack of control over bodily functions and the need to rely on a wheelchair and other adaptive aids, as well as strong daily medications, for life. With this comes lack of independence, loss of confidence, sexual dysfunction, stress and depression. Added complications can include the following :-

• Severe pain at and/or below the injury site
• Respiratory, circulatory, cardio and joint problems
• Muscle wastage
• Severe and debilitating spasms in the extremities

Victims are also at a significantly increased risk of numerous ailments, a few of which are listed below :-

• Blood clots
• Pressure sore
• Urinary tract infections
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis
• Contractures

The vast majority of male SCI victims cannot conceive children without intervention due to sexual dysfunction. Many victims can never return to education or employment after a SCI and suffer subsequent family and relationship breakdowns. An individual's life span is also shortened after sustaining a spinal cord injury. All injuries will denote an extended stay in hospital for stabilisation surgery and/or injury recovery, usually followed by a long period at a rehabilitation centre. Depending on the ability of the person, some can be taught to live fairly independently but the vast majority will require lifelong assistance with everyday living. A high neck injury will even require the assistance of a ventilator to breathe.

Age of Injury

Spinal cord injuries are usually referred to as either acute or chronic. An acute injury is a new injury. Opinions about when a person becomes a chronic injury vary, but around 14 days is realistic. Due to continual 'secondary' damage around the injured site for some time after injury, acute and chronic injury cures will consist of different approaches. A number of research efforts are looking to benefit acute injuries only. Enevitably, each new injury will become an old injury, so Walkoncemore is solely interested in helping to find a cure for chronic SCI, thus helping every afflicted person.

Anatomy of the spine

The spinal column is made up of 33 individual bones, termed vertebrae and each are stacked on top of one another. Encased within the length of these bones is the spinal cord. The column is composed of 4 main sections. Within the neck is the cervical spine, the upper to mid back is the Thoracic spine, the mid to lower back is the Lumbar spine and just above the Coccyx is the sacral section.

The Area and Extent of Injury

Generally, the higher the injury, the greater the physical impairment of the individual. If a person sustains an injury to their neck they are termed quadriplegic or tetraplegic. An injury nearer the top of the neck will result in instant death or paralysis from the neck down with the reliance on a ventilator for breathing. Lower neck injuries may have limited use of the arms, if any and no use of the fingers. If an individual sustains the injury to their back, they become a paraplegic. Most injuries to this area will result in paralysis from the chest down.

A very severe injury will result in a 'complete' lesion, where no sensory (feeling) or motor (movement) messages can travel to the body from the brain below the injury site. A more 'incomplete' injury may mean some movement and feeling tracts are left intact, yet the individual will rarely be anywhere near fully functional. The spinal cord is a mysterious and complex organ explaining perhaps why some injured persons can walk, albeit with difficulty, yet cannot feel a thing from the chest down or control their bowel or bladder.

Walkoncemore aims to help the people affected by this sudden and castastrophic injury on the journey to making their injuries short-term and their prognosis a good one.