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WHAT IS A SPINAL CORD INJURY?

The word spinal means "of the spine". The spine is made up of vertebra in the back. The back exists of 24 vertebra ring-shaped with an osseous body in front. The top 7 vertebra is the cervical (neck) vertebra and is numbered from the top C1 – C7. Then follows the twelve thoracic (chest) vertebra with a rib attached to each of them. They are numbered from top T1 – T12. The five lumbar vertebrae follows, numbered from top L1 – L5. The spinal cord is an extension of the brain that carries the message to and from the brain. Nerves branch out from the spinal cord to the organs, muscles and skin. In doing so, the spinal cord works like a "telephone exchange". When the spinal cord is damaged, no message can get past the damaged part of the spinal cord. The brain is no longer communicating with the body parts beneath the level of injury regarding muscular activity and sensation.

Quadriplegic:

A quadriplegic is a person who, through illness or injury from C1 – C7, has lost the total or partial use of all his / her limbs. Depending on the level of injury there can still be some degree of movement in the arms and shoulders. There is also a difference in the functioning of the bladder and intestinal canal digestive tract. Other physical complications can occur as a result of the injury, e.g. as a result of the paralyses of the chest muscle, breathing organs can be affected and lung complications can set in. A person with an injury above C3's breathing can be influenced to such an extent that a respirator is needed for survival. Quadriplegia results after an injury of, or damage to the spinal cord at C1 – C7 with a total or partial loss of sensation and arbitrary function of the all the limbs, torso, bladder and rectum. Rehabilitation is a process to teach you to use the muscle functions you still have to an optimum level. Your complete co-operation is required at this stage. Without your co-operation all efforts will be needless. The degree of recovery with quadriplegics differs from person to person. Much focus is given to spinal cord research and full recovery could become a possibility in future.

Application form:

If you wish to placed on the waiting list, please complete the application form and e-mail it to info@latwiel.org.za.  Once the application form has been received, you will be placed on the waiting list.