TY  - CHAP
M1  - Book, Section
TI  - The Spinal Cord
A1  - Mosconi, Tony
A1  - Graham, Victoria
PY  - 2017
T2  - Neuroscience for Rehabilitation
AB  - >  CASE  5Spinal  Cord  InjuryBobby  was  a  fearless  child;  his  mother  told  stories  of  him  riding  his  big  wheel  down  the  stairs  outside  his  Colorado  home.  He  preferred  individual  sports,  so  he  took  up  racket  ball  and  swimming  when  his  family  later  moved  to  California.  In  high  school  he  became  a  triathlete,  joining  a  group  of  dedicated  older  athletes  who  met  regularly  to  swim,  ride,  and  run.  Sunday  mornings  they  swam  3  miles  in  the  ocean,  and  after  a  rest  finished  the  day  with  a  13-mile  run.  Cycling  through  56  miles  of  Southern  California  mountains  and  canyons  completed  the  weekly  training.  It  was  a  disciplined,  active  life  he  shared  with  his  best  friend.Everything  changed  on  a  beautiful  March  day  when  he  was  17.  It  was  too  pretty  to  be  inside  at  the  gym,  so  he  decided  to  go  for  an  easy  ride,  from  his  parents’  house,  past  the  high  school  and  back  a  few  laps.  A  car  darted  toward  him  from  the  side,  and  as  he  swerved  to  avoid  that  collision,  he  ran  into  the  back  of  a  bus  that  was  illegally  parked  in  front  of  a  fire  hydrant.  The  accident  fractured  his  spine,  permanently  damaging  his  spinal  cord  at  the  fifth  cervical  level.In  the  hospital,  reality  came  slowly  as  he  gradually  became  aware  of  his  new  limitations.  He  was  placed  in  traction  initially  while  they  ran  tests  to  determine  the  severity  of  the  injury.  He  heard  words  like  quadriplegic,  and  struggled  to  move  his  arms  as  he  lay  in  bed.  Once,  he  was  able  to  wiggle  his  shoulders  and  flex  his  arm  in  front  of  his  body,  only  to  have  it  get  stuck  against  his  face,  unable  to  extend  his  elbow  due  to  paralyzed  triceps  brachii.  A  few  days  after  the  accident,  he  lay  there  while  a  physician  told  him  he  would  never  walk  again,  news  he  did  not  fully  accept  at  that  point.  Far  more  immediate  was  the  plan  to  place  him  in  a  halo  for  the  next  few  months.  A  halo-stabilizing  device  immobilizes  the  cervical  spine  with  a  metal  band  encircling  the  skull,  fixed  by  four  screws.  Long  metal  rods  extend  downward  from  the  halo  and  attach  to  a  vest  worn  around  the  torso.  Bobby's  father  had  worn  a  halo  a  few  years  before  due  to  a  cervical  fracture,  and  he  remembered  his  father's  pain  and  discomfort  very  well,  fearing  the  next  few  months  living  in  the  halo  more  than  anyone  on  the  rehabilitation  team  imagined.Once  he  was  transferred  to  the  rehabilitation  unit,  Bobby  found  comfort  and  familiarity  in  the  routine.  He  focused  on  learning  new  skills  in  occupational  and  physical  therapy,  and  mentally  planned  to  complete  a  race  in  a  few  months,  once  he  recovered.  The  positive,  focused  nature  of  the  rehab  team  made  each  day  easier,  along  with  a  tremendous  support  network  of  family  and  friends,  who  filled  the  hallways  each  day  until  the  staff  had  to  request  a  limit  on  the  number  of  visitors.  His  training  partners  were  mostly  older,  mature  individuals  providing  social  and  emotional  ...
SN  - 
PB  - McGraw-Hill Education
CY  - New York, NY
Y2  - 2024/04/20
UR  - accessphysiotherapy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1148429839
ER  -