Spinal cord injury is a transverse damage to the spinal cord caused by various pathogenic factors (trauma; inflammation; tumor, etc.), resulting in impairment of spinal cord nerve function (sensorimotor and autonomic function) below the plane of injury.
Rehabilitation of spinal cord injury should begin at the site of injury, and early rehabilitation and prevention of various early complications are important for the patient’s healing since spinal cord injury immediately causes dysfunction of multiple systems throughout the body. For a long time, spinal cord injury rehabilitation has been considered to be carried out at a later stage of injury, and most patients are discharged from the hospital in bed to rest and wait for the recovery of spinal stability, because they do not receive early rehabilitation and have a high incidence of complications such as pressure sores; foot drop; urinary tract infections; and physical and psychological changes, which are very difficult for the later rehabilitation.
The purpose of rehabilitation for spinal cord injury patients is to enable them to regain their independence and return to society to start a new life. However, depending on the level of spinal cord injury and the degree of injury, each patient has different healing goals. There are many modern medical rehabilitation methods, so here is a brief introduction to the application and role of paraplegic braces in spinal cord injury.
A paraplegic brace is an extracorporeal support device used to compensate for the loss of function of the lower extremities and trunk, and can be used to stand and walk in accordance with human biomechanics. The timing of application as well as the stage of injury and the role of paraplegic supports vary for different injury planes.
Application time.
1. The recovery of spinal stability.
2.The patient has good trunk sitting balance and upper limb strength.
3, the patient does not have more than 10 degrees of contracture and pressure sores in the lower extremity joints.
4.The patient is ready for the thought of brace training.
The application of paraplegic brace is widespread and supplements the rehabilitation treatment, while its role is also significant to the patient:.
Physically.
1. It can reach places that could not be reached before.
2.Can walk in places where a wheelchair cannot pass.
3.The support can be taken into the car when going out to social events.
4.Reduces the chance of developing bed sores.
5.The flexibility and posture are improved after wearing the brace, and the function of kidney, bladder and intestine is also enhanced.
6.It promotes blood circulation and reduces the chance of thrombosis, and also reduces the state of spasm caused by muscle stretching.
Psychologically.
1.Improved their independence, which can make the patient’s range of motion extended and do more self-care work.
2. The paraplegic brace allows the patient to stand and communicate with others at eye level, increasing self-esteem and self-confidence.
3. The device worn underneath the clothing makes the brace part less visible.
Of course, all things have two sides, and paraplegic brace also has some disadvantages.
1.Wearing it for a long time will cause disuse atrophy of soft tissues below the knee joint.
2. The patient’s psychological dependence on the brace.
Modern medicine has no cure for complete spinal cord injury, and clinical rehabilitation is to explore the residual potential and reshape the patient’s ability, while paraplegic brace plays a great role in compensating the function, greatly reducing the mortality of the patient, reducing the burden of family and society, and enabling the patient to rebuild confidence and accomplish what he or she can. However, the application of paraplegic brace is constrained by many external factors, and most doctors and patients do not understand it very well, which causes many patients not to be fitted with the brace when they need it, and when they are fitted later, problems such as complications and pressure sores affect the fitting and use of the brace. Therefore, the promotion of the use of paraplegic braces requires the awareness of rehabilitation physicians and the organic cooperation of patients, families, and medical workers to provide better services for patients with spinal cord injuries. The correct use of paraplegic braces to reduce the side effects on patients is helpful and necessary.