Spinal cord injuries have life-changing consequences not only for you but for your loved ones too. They affect how your body functions, they typically require substantial physical, emotional and social adjustment, and often professional spinal injury care is required.
With the expertise of our Complex Care team, we can provide you or your loved ones with a spinal injury care plan tailored to help and support all your needs to live independently in the comfort of your own home.
When a traumatic (fall, motor vehicle accident) or non-traumatic (cancer, inflammation) injury damages the spinal cord, the transmission signals between the brain and the rest of the body are disrupted, causing you to lose full or partial mobility control and sensation from below the level of injury. The higher the damage is on your spinal cord; the more functions can be impaired.
With our person-centred bespoke care plans, our carers will ensure you have a better understanding of how to live with a spinal injury, support you manage your day-to-day life avoiding potential complications and help you improve your well-being.
Complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries are the two types of spinal cord injuries that cause mild to severe symptoms affecting different parts of the body – arms, breathing, legs and control of the bowels, bladder and stomach, and pelvic area leading to challenges such as sexual dysfunction, etc. depending on the damage to the spinal cord.
The main difference between complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries is if the cord is sufficiently damaged across the whole of its width or if the injury spreads across part of the cord affecting only some areas. Whereas a complete injury leaves a total loss of sensation and muscle control below the affected areas, a incomplete injury leaves the intact areas of the spinal cord to retain some sensation below the affected areas, the incomplete injury leaves the intact areas of the spinal cord to retain some sensation and/or motor sensory below the affected area.
Additionally, paralysis from a spinal cord injury can be referred to as:
Paraplegia and quadriplegia can increase the risk of additional problems developing such as pressure sores, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, circulatory control, hypothermia/hyperthermia, injury from uncontrolled muscle spasms, Autonomic Dysreflexia attacks etc.
No matter the type of completeness of the injury, our professional team can provide you and your loved ones with the care and support you need, supporting you navigate through this challenging new chapter of your life.
We can support you with personal care, companionship, mobility support, physio and rehabilitation. Moreover, we can also provide complex care for those of you who require clinical care needs. Our nurse-led team can help and support you with:
As spinal cord injuries can cause lots of anxiety and discomfort, our teams will work together with you and communicate all your concerns and requirements, including how to manage your bowel and bladder through routines, help you dress and bathe, provide complex tasks, or even just be there for you, ensuring you feel understood and comfortable while receiving care in the comfort of your home.
