Spine Surgery: Timing Matters!
Reported August 29, 2007
TORONTO, Canada (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) About 300,000 Americans are in wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries. Many patients will recover at least some function in their fingers, toes, hands and limbs after injury, but new research shows there may be a way for them to recover even more.
Bruce Brady nearly died last March when he accidentally skied into a cedar fence.
At that point there, I could not feel anything, he says. I couldnt move my head. I could not wiggle my toes, wiggle my fingers.
The accident left Brady paralyzed from the neck down. I couldnt feel anything, anywhere, he says.
Michael Fehlings, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada, says the initial impact doesnt cause all the damage in spinal cord injuries. There are also secondary injuries that come from inflammation and compression on the spine. This involves the death of nerve cells that might otherwise be initially potentially alive or salvageable after the initial injury, Dr. Fehlings says.
Surgery is often performed to fix the spine and relieve pressure. Dr. Fehlings is currently leading a study to determine the best time to perform that surgery. It appears that earlier is indeed better than later, he says.
One study shows the most common time for surgery is five days or more after an injury. But Dr. Fehlings research shows surgery within 24 hours can prevent more severe damage and lead to better outcomes.
We are seeing that some people are walking away from injuries where they would normally not be able to walk away, Dr. Fehlings says.
Brady had surgery within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital. Today, theres not much he cant do.
I live my life a little bit humbled, that is for sure, Brady says.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Robert Thompson
Senior Public Health Affairs Advisor
University Health Network
Toronto, ON, Canada
robert.thompson@uhn.on.ca