What is Spinal Cord Injury(SCI)?
A type of severe/significant/multiple disability due to accident, illness or disease in which the spinal cord, an important bundle of nerves that passes information between the brain and the body, has been damaged, causing various and complex physical, psychological/social and economic difficulties in the life.
Characteristics of SCI
· Physical
Use the wheelchair as they are unable to stand up and walk due to the paralysis of upper and lower extremities. They suffer from bed sore due the paralysis of the sensory nerves, as well as various complications such as intestinal/urinary fistula dysfunction and sexual dysfunction due to the paralysis of the autonomic nerves
· Psychological/Social
Have increased risk of having psychological maladjustment due to the sudden and permanent physical disability; social problems arise in their lives due to the loss of bodily functions and of their role and status at home and work
· Economic
Are subject to increased economic burden due to the medical and nursing fees arising from long-term hospitalization, purchasing high-cost rehabilitation equipment such as wheelchairs, cushions, lower limb joint exercise equipment, and the examination, treatment and maintenance costs for complications due to spinal cord injury and its after effects
Possibilities for SCI
Even SCI - most of whom have had their careers cut short by the disability in the course of their lives - can participate actively in various fields of society even after the injury if they are provided with ready and systematic rehabilitation training, and receive support to obtain the optimal equipment and improvements in their residential environment. Through such measures, Korea Spinal Cord Injury Association seeks to enable SCIs to return to a daily life that is better compared to prior to their having the accident, and to live as tax-paying citizens. Korea Spinal Cord Injury Association thus supports a more advanced form of rehabilitation for SCIs.
Forms of Spinal Cord Injury(SCIs)
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
Traffic accident is usually the main cause and than industrial accident, fall, sports injuries and diseses are followed by. The age between 30~50 is the highest rate and especially male rather than female.
