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Published on: January 23, 2012

Blue Food Dye May Hold Spine Recovery Secrets says a Rochester School

by Stephen Bilkis

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have made an amazing discovery. The blue food dye known as Brilliant Blue G, or BBG, responsible for blue M&Ms and blue Gatorade alike, may actually reduce spinal injury damage.

This is a breath of new hope for those who have suffered spinal injuries. The effects of something so simple as blue food dye may one day provide those who are currently wheelchair-bound to stand again.

The University of Rochester Medical Center researchers and hospitals in Nassau and Suffolk injected the dye into rats suffering spinal cord injuries – and the rats regained the ability to walk, though they did so with a limp, according to reports. It also had another side-effect; it turned the rats blue, at least temporarily.

Published on: January 21, 2012

Tasered Man Dies from Broken Neck in Washington

by Stephen Bilkis

A man in Washington State was determined to have died from a broken neck after being tasered by sheriff’s deputies. When he fell, he suffered the spinal injuryand died a week later, at the age of 68.

The Washington man was shot with the taser only after a stand-off of several hours. The man fell when struck by the taser and it was then that he broke his neck. The Sherriff’s Office maintains the deputies all acted according to policy and the broken neck was simply a terrible and completely unforeseen accident.

The medical examiner told officials that the official cause of death was, in fact, spinal cord injury due to cervical spine fractures caused by blunt face and neck injury.

Published on: January 17, 2012

New Spinal Cord Injury Research Could Lead to New Treatments

by Stephen Bilkis

A new research study by a Canadian researcher is learning new details about some previously unknown information about the human spinal cord, a researcher recalls. While there have been several spinal research studies over the years, what sets this study apart is that he has learned something that could improve the way in which lumbar spinal cord injuries are treated.

The researcher has stated that the spinal cord is described in physiology books as a relay system. However, according to his research, the spinal cord processes information in similar fashion as the brain. The scientist also learned that his research seeks to examine the spinal cord injury, more specifically the areas above and below the injury in order to “map” the area to determine the injuries nature and be able to measure how effective the treatment is.

His research is expected to be a guide to future spinal cord injury treatment procedures once the methods do become available. An as of yet unknown method of bridging a spinal cord injury, called bridging, is hoped to become available once research has advanced enough to learn how it can be done. The current research that is sometimes referred to as “spinal mapping” is expected to be instrumental in accurately locating the spinal cord injury that needs to be bridged.

Published on: January 15, 2012

High School Senior Recovers After Spinal Injury

by Stephen Bilkis

A high school senior, name withheld for privacy, is preparing to return to the soccer field this summer, and then play college soccer this fall, sources have told a rep. Like most high school seniors, making the transition from senior to college freshman can be a big deal. This can be an especially big deal when athletes take the step. It can be an even bigger step when the college bound athlete is recovering from a spinal cord injury.

The doctor discovered that this young athlete’s spine was fractured in three places during his last high school soccer season. His opinion is that it happened in the last game. It was not a herniated disc. Since that time, he has been out of athletics, and after surgery, he has spent much of that time in rehab and recovery. Although he has not been cleared for full contact yet, he has been cleared to resume running and weight training. He expects to be cleared for contact in about a month he said.

The senior is reportedly gaining strength and has constantly maintained a positive attitude throughout the entire affair, a friend was told. The youth’s future college coach is extremely impressed with the young man’s progress and has nothing but good things to say about him. He says that the youth has good soccer technique, decision-making skills, and a very strong work ethic. He also added that although he signed the young athlete for a certain position on the field, that he is versatile enough to play in any position the team would need him.

Published on: January 12, 2012

Baseball Player Injured after Colliding with another Player

by Stephen Bilkis

A baseball player for the Georgia Bulldogs was injured during a game when he ran into another player. Both players were trying to catch a line drive during the third inning. The player, an outfielder, was taken off the field in a stretcher and transported to a nearby hospital, reports the team trainer. The player was treated for a few minor injuries and then underwent neck surgery to stabilize his spine. At present, little information is known whether the player will suffer permanent spinal injury like a herniated disc. The player was transferred from the hospital and rehabilitation center, however.

The player is a 20-year old junior who had played 117 games for the Bulldogs. Additional stats include 91 starts and a .312 overall batting average. The player was injured in a game against Florida State. The player’s coach has offered his condolences to the player’s family and hopes the player recovers soon. The player will most likely have to miss the rest of the baseball season. Hopefully, he will be able to return next season to play as a senior.

The other player, a second baseman, was able to walk off the field without help from medical personnel. He suffered only minor injuries. This is not the first incident of a Georgia State baseball player ending up with spinal injuries. In 2009, another player was riding his scooter on campus when he was hit by a campus vehicle. The player ended up paralyzed from the waist. This ended his baseball career, says a doctor.

Published on: January 10, 2012

Four Major Types of Thoracic Spine Injuries Experienced

by Stephen Bilkis

The thoracic spine is the upper back and is the most stable part of the spine. It is the longest section of the spine and because it has the support of the ribcage and ribs it is extremely well protected. When injuries to the thoracic spine do occur, they are caused by motor accidents, sport accidents, or violence. Most of the damage to the thoracic spine occurs in the bottom half of the thoracic spine, a doctor said.

There are four major types of thoracic spine injuries being a compression, burst, flexion-distraction, and fracture-dislocation. Of the four types, a compression spinal injury is the most common fracture in the thoracic spine. This injury occurs when the upper back is curved forward or sideways when the accident or violence occurs. When the back is bent forward, the front or side of the vertebrae is crushed in the impact. A compression injury is also called a wedge fracture, a doctor mentioned.

A burst fracture is similar to a compression fracture. However, the main difference is that the entire vertebra is crushed instead of a small portion of it. The vertebra is evenly crushed by the trauma. When a burst injury occurs, the vertebra is pushed into the spinal cord causing loss of motor, sensory, and reflex functions. It is rare for a burst fracture to occur because of the curve of the spine, but they do happen. The most common incident that causes a burst or compressed fracture is when someone falls from height and lands on their buttock or feet, a report stated.

Published on: January 7, 2012

Rehabilitation after Treatment is just as Important as the Surgery

by Stephen Bilkis

Healing only begins with the surgery to the lumbar area in the thoracic spine. Rehabilitation is an important part of getting the individual back into the swing of things, a doctor said. Their life will never be as it was in the past, but rehabilitation can help make the transition easier.

Rehabilitation must address every aspect of the individual’s life from their home, work, school, and community life. The rehabilitation will depend on the severity of the spinal injury and the extent the spinal cord is affected. The fracture must be considered before rehabilitation is begun. The body must be well enough to relearn, a recent study stated.

Some areas will need to be more thoroughly addressed than others are. Rehabilitation is about relearning and doing the activities to the best of the individual’s ability. Motor, sensory, autonomic function, psychosocial, and occupational incidences are all addressed.

Published on: January 5, 2012

medic provided a 26-year-old Army veteran from Seattle with Vicodin

by Stephen Bilkis

A medic provided a 26-year-old Army veteran from Seattle with Vicodin, Dilaudid, and morphine just so he could endure the pain while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, officers have learned. He felt the worst pain in 2003 when he was patrolling the steep hills of eastern Afghanistan. Sometimes, he had to ascend the steep landscape in body armor, pack, and weapons that weighed more than 100 pounds, in total.

“My lower back would just start aching from running up the hills. It would just break me,” said the veteran to a doctor. He gave his statement anonymously.

The problem of drugs to subdue pain caused by heavy gear is all the worse when it comes to patients who also suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and other mental harm from combat. The pain and the drugs combined with the spinal injuries often deepen depression.

Published on: January 2, 2012

Medical providers often have to prescribe opiates to the soldiers who suffer back injuries due to their gear

by Stephen Bilkis

A 130-pound staff sergeant served in Afghanistan, typically carrying armor and gear that weighed between 80 and 90 pounds, inspectors have learned. The sergeant suffered a pinched nerve while carrying his gear during a tour in Iraq. He also sustained a cracked vertebra while in the United States. Then, in Afghanistan, he fell from a roof while wearing all his gear and injured his shoulder.

The sergeant described the pain to a doctor as bone-on-bone grinding. Little by little, he began to drop some of his gear, like extra batteries, three of his seven ammo magazines, and started using a lighter rifle.

At least, he went back to Washington state weeks early with other injured soldiers. He had to undergo spinal-fusion surgery and a ruptured disc was removed from his spine.

Published on: December 30, 2011

Young Men under 32 High Risk for Spinal Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

Research has found that accidents often result in thoracic spine fractures. There are several groups of people at risk for suffering from spinal fractures. The first are athletes they have a higher risk than people who are not involved in sports. Athletes involved in contact sports such as football or hockey, where it is typically for people to tackle or slam into you, should use caution and make sure that all protection gear is used at all times during practices, training and games. In addition, people who are involved in sport activities that have the possibility of falling are also at high risk. Sports such as high jump in track and field or rock climbing are examples of those activities, a researcher mentioned.

In addition, another group of people with a high risk of suffering from thoracic spine fractures is those who work at jobs with a danger of slipping and falling, a study stated. People in jobs such as working in construction or window washing should always use the proper restraints to protect themselves from falling.

The average age of people who damage their thoracic spine is 32. Over half, 55%, of the individuals injured are between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. US database listings showing that around 80% of injuries of this nature occur in males. Women who have transitioned into postmenopausal and have osteoporosis also have an increased risk for thoracic spine fractures.