Common causes of Spinal Injuries- Dr Ritesh khokhar - Chandigarh

Spinal cord injuries involve damage to your spinal cord. This bundle of nerve fibers links your brain to nerves throughout your body. Damage to your cord can interrupt sensory signals and control over muscle movement. Scientific advances are opening new doors to improved outcomes after these injuries.

What can cause a spinal cord injury?

Spinal cord injuries can happen for many reasons. Possible causes include (but aren’t limited to):

Motor vehicle crashes. These are the most common cause. They make up more than 37% of all SCIs.
Falls. They make up about 31% of all SCIs.
Violence-related injuries. This includes penetrating injuries from bullets or sharp objects like knives. They make up about 15% of all SCIs.
Sports-related injuries. These account for about 8% of SCIs. Diving is the most common sports-related spinal cord injury.
Other common causes of or contributing factors to spinal cord injuries include:

Conditions that make it easier for your bones to break, like osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Spine tumors, including cancers.
Cysts or fluid-filled cavities within your spinal cord (syringomyelia).
Infections that attack your spinal cord, or cause swelling and inflammation in surrounding tissues that then press on your spinal cord.
Lack of blood flow (ischemia) to your spinal cord.
Congenital spinal conditions, such as myelomeningocele or spina bifida.
Autoimmune or inflammatory conditions like Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica or transverse myelitis.
Genetic conditions like hereditary spastic paraplegia.
Electrocution (if the electric current travels along or near your spinal cord).

For more information consult our expert Dr Ritesh khokhar at Fortis hospital Mohali