Spinal Cord Injury Virtual Reality Treatment
Spinal Cord Injury Virtual Reality Treatment – There has been a major push in the medical field to develop new diagnostic and treatment recommendations for spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Even though advances have been made in other areas of medicine, spinal cord injuries still have the potential to cause significant long-term, permanent complications. For many families every year, these are an unfortunate reality. According to some statistics released by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC):
- There are close to 18,000 new spinal cord injuries that occur every year.
- This number does not include individuals who die immediately after sustaining a spinal cord injury.
- There are more than 280,000 people who currently live in the United States with a spinal cord injury.
- The vast majority of new spinal cord injuries occur in males.
- The average age at which people suffer a spinal cord injury is around 40.
These numbers help to illustrate that spinal cord injuries are still a very real problem. They have the potential to cause a tremendous amount of stress for not only the injured individuals but also their family members. Because of this, it is essential for everyone to know the different treatment options for those who suffer a spinal cord injury.
Treatment of a Spinal Cord Injury
The treatment of a spinal cord injury involves several different treatment tenets. Some of these include:
Steroids: Steroids are important because they can reduce the swelling in the spine. This can prevent the worsening of any nerve damage in the spinal canal.
Blood Pressure: Many people who injure their spinal cord wind up with changes in their blood pressure because of nerve damage in the spine. Blood pressure must be monitored closely to prevent symptoms from worsening.
Muscle Relaxants: It is not unusual for people to have spasms of the muscles around the spine. Because of this, muscle relaxants can be helpful for comfort.
Ultimately, the treatment of a spinal cord injury is dependent on how severe an injury is. Some of these injuries can lead to the development of chronic pain. For those who have chronic pain, they often require pain medication with dangerous side effects and addictive potential.
A Study: The Potential of Virtual Reality
A study was recently completed exploring the possibility of using virtual reality to treat spinal cord injuries. In the study, the researchers took twenty patients with spinal cord injuries (that led to paraplegia) and twenty otherwise healthy individuals and had them undergo virtual reality testing. The individuals were given a virtual reality headset that displayed virtual legs that looked like the individual’s legs. Then, the researchers applied tactile stimulation to the individual’s back while demonstrating tactile stimulation in the VR headset on the virtual legs. The idea behind this study was to document a lack of pain when physical stimulation was applied both to the individual’s back and the virtual legs. After this, individuals were given a questionnaire which rated their pain both before and after the virtual reality therapy. The results of the questionnaire demonstrate an improvement in chronic, neuropathic pain after completion of the virtual reality testing. Even though virtual reality technology is still in its infancy, it has shown some ability to help people relieve chronic pain and could be used as a suitable alternative to long-term narcotic and opioid pain medication.
Watch YouTube Video: Scientists Have Found a Way to Make Paraplegics Move Again. This video shows the breakthrough method involving virtual reality that can help people with spinal cord injuries move again.
The Assistance of an Injury Lawyer
When a family member sustains a spinal cord injury, this can place the entire family under a tremendous amount of stress. Regardless of the circumstances of the accident, there are a lot of questions that will come up. For help with answers, it is prudent to meet with a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento. A trained attorney understands how to review an accident and meet with a family to discuss all the options available to them. You and your loved ones could be entitled to financial compensation.
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Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. Spinal cord injuries are serious matters. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a car accident, call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly legal advice.
I am a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
We’ve successfully resolved many cases in the past. To see our prior cases, go to our verdicts or settlements page.
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Spinal Cord Injury Virtual Reality Treatment: AutoAccident.com
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