Pediatric Sacral Spine Injuries
Pediatric Sacral Spine Injuries. Whenever someone sustains an injury of the spinal cord, it is of major concern because of the potential harm that could damage one or more of the nerves in the spinal cord. When these injuries happen in children, they are even more severe because children are still growing and a spinal cord injury could have a negative impact on their development. Recently, a medical review article was published detailing the implications of pediatric sacral spine injuries.
Mechanism of Sacral Spine Injuries in Children
There are several different ways that children can sustain an injury to the spinal cord. Unfortunately, children are able to develop spinal cord injuries as a result of playing contact sports, such as football. Children can also injure their spine if they fall out of a window, particularly if that window is several stories off of the ground; however, based on the results of a research study, the most common way that kids develop injuries of their spinal cord is through an auto accident. The spine is a long, bony structure filled with numerous vertebrae and, generally, the higher up on the spine the injury occurs, the more devastating the damage can be. On the other hand, even spinal cord injuries that occur lower along the spine, such as the sacrum, have the potential to cause a wide range of complications. When children are involved in an auto accident, cars have the potential to flip, leading to impacts all over the body. If the head strikes the roof or the dashboard, this force can be transmitted down the neck and into the spine, leading to spinal cord injuries. In severe crush car accidents, traumatic injuries can also impact the spine directly. If someone has developed a sacral spinal cord injury, there are several different treatment options to be aware of.
Treatment Options: Severity Matters
Children who have sustained an injury to their sacrum are likely going to experience a wide variety of symptoms. Pain over the injured area is the most common presenting complaint. Aside from this, the other symptoms depend on the severity of the injury. If they have damaged the nerves that run in this vicinity, they could suffer incontinence of their bowel or bladder. If this is present, it indicates a surgical emergency. The child could be taken to an operating room to try and relieve whatever force has damaged these nerves. For those who do not have these type of symptoms, imaging will be used to check and see if they have fractured one or more of their vertebrae. If a fracture is present, the spine will be immobilized so that the fractures are able to heal properly. These are very different treatment options and are dictated by the severity of the injury present.
Importance of Prevention: Car Safety
To prevent these serious injuries from happening in children, there are several different tips and tricks that parents should keep in mind. First, make sure that children are sitting in the back seat of a car and that they always wear their seat belt. It can be a challenge to get children to wear their seat belt; however, an effective strategy is to simply refuse to move the car until the seat belts are on. After this, make sure that proper seating guidelines are followed regarding car seats and booster seats. These are in place to make sure that children are as safe as possible. Finally, avoid driving while drunk, tired, or distracted. These are major factors that lead to car accidents.
Watch YouTube Video: Jude’s Story – Spinal Cord Injury – Children’s Specialized Hospital. This video tells the story of a brave, young boy named Jude who sustained a spinal cord injury and the efforts it took to recover from it.
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I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. There is always the risk of severe injuries in a car crash. If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident, call me at (916) 921-6400 for friendly, free advice or by calling our toll-free line: (800) 404-5400.
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Pediatric Sacral Spine Injuries: AutoAccident.com
Image Source: The image at the top was found first on Unsplash and has been shown here with permission / Pediatric Sacral Spine Injuries.
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