New Research Gives Hope to Those Who Suffer a Spinal Cord Injury
There are serious personal injuries that someone might suffer; however, one of the most severe is a spinal cord injury. The spinal cord is a critical network of nerves that travels from the brain to the pelvis. Along the way, the spine is protected by bones called vertebrae. The spinal cord sends out nerves to the rest of the body that transmit motor signals while also collecting sensory information that is taken back to the brain. Sadly, many people who suffer a spinal cord injury end up with permanent complications that impact them from the rest of their lives. The good news is that research on serious spinal cord injuries might give new hope to those who suffer this type of traumatic accident.
Recently, a research article was published discussing a new treatment that could reduce swelling in the brain and spinal cord following a serious injury involving the nervous system. With more than 75 million people who suffer spinal cord injuries every year, this new treatment has the opportunity to help countless people. This swelling is termed CNS edema. This type of swelling usually compresses the nerves, killing them. This can lead to permanent complications involving the nervous system, leaving people wondering how their lives are going to be impacted reports Ankin Law Office.
This new treatment uses a medication called TFP to influence how pores in cells behave. The hope is that this medication can be used to reduce the amount of water that enters cells in the nervous system. With the reduction in this water flow, swelling will also be reduced. If the swelling goes down, then the hope is that nerves will suffer less damage than normal. This treatment has already been tested in rats and has shown promising results. The next step is to take this treatment and apply it to human patients. This should help reduce the swelling that people suffer after a spinal cord injury, reducing the pressure exerted on the spinal cord and nerves. This could help people preserve motor and sensory function. This can prevent many of the complications that hamper people’s quality of life following a spinal cord injury.
The spinal cord is one of the most important parts of the human body. Those who suffer a spinal cord injury could be at risk of developing permanent complications. This is an active area of research that is yielding new treatment options for conditions that previously did not have many options. In the future, this treatment is going to be watched closely. It has the potential to change how doctors manage spinal cord injuries, helping people recover from these serious injuries more quickly.
