TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Traumatic Myelopathy A1 - Vernese, Lauren A1 - Kessler, Allison A1 - McCormick, Kristen A1 - Spendley, James A1 - Anschel, Alan A2 - Mitra, Raj Y1 - 2019 N1 - T2 - Principles of Rehabilitation Medicine AB - Spinal cord injury (SCI), or traumatic myelopathy, was first described around 2500 BC by ancient Egyptians, as written in the ancient Egyptian medical text the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. The textbook referenced six cases of spinal canal injury, with one case referencing paralysis of the extremities, bladder incontinence, abdominal distention, and priapism.1–4 Subsequently, Hippocrates is often credited with first describing traction for the reduction of spinal fractures with resultant spinal cord injuries, as well as describing chronic paralysis, constipation, bladder difficulty, venous stasis, and pressure injury resulting from spinal injury.1,2,4 Despite a long history of knowledge, most patients with SCIs died within a few weeks, usually from urosepsis, prior to the 1940s.2 It wasn't until the end of World War II that management began to be standardized. SCI patients were treated in specialized units with multidisciplinary programs dedicated to treatment and rehabilitation of paralysis.2,4 Sir Ludwig Guttman of the United Kingdom and Dr. Donald Munro of Boston, Massachusetts, developed early standardizations of care in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively.1,3 By the late 1940s, the average life expectancy increased to approximately 10 years and doubled to 20 years in the 1950s; this improvement was attributed to the use of antibiotics and multidisciplinary programs.2 SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessphysiotherapy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1162855761 ER -