Name
Institution

spinal Cord Injury in the United Kingdom
Introduction
Spinal Cord Injury is caused when the soft tissues that protect the spinal cord dislocate. The spine bones can be broken if exposed to pressure that is harmful to the spinal cord. Injuries usually occur at different levels of the spinal cord. What determines if a segment of the cord is permanently or temporarily injured is the severity of the damage to the nervous tissue. Most injuries are physiological (Aru, 2008).
The number one cause of death for people with spinal cord injury is what is called ‘the renal failure’. Information for this and other conditions is recorded in the National Spinal Cord Injury Database (since 1973 to present). It was only until the Second World War that people had the slightest hope of ever surviving spinal cord injury. Complications that are associated with it are breathing problems, blood clots, kidney failure, and pressure sores (Levi et al., 1995).
Prevalence of the Spinal Cord Injury
Prevalence is the percentage of individuals in a group having an existing health condition during a certain period. In the USA, two hundred and fifty nine thousand people have been estimated to have the spinal cord injury. The National Spinal Cord Injury Database (NSCID) has recorded that approximately 5,596,000 people have paralysis related to the spinal cord injury. This accounts for almost 1.7% of the population in the USA. More than 12,300,000 have been paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury (Bagnal & Jones, 2007).
The notice of the increase in Spinal Cord Injury victims (SCI) started in 1935. The prevalence was 473 individuals, and it has been on the rise ever since. After the end of the two World Wars, numerous cases were reported. The two World Wars recorded an estimate of 4,450 individuals with SCI. This is only half the number recorded in the 1980’s. Throughout the 1990’s, 2,275 more were estimated to have SCI in the UK. The second millennium ended with 4,187,000 people being said to have SCI (one million less than the current figure).
It has also been observed that it is only developed countries that have had such numerous cases. The skill necessary to treat SCI to full recovery is currently at large. Moreover, the expertise is in the developed economies. It is unfortunate that the developing and the transitional economies do not have such knowledge. This leads to many untreated deaths in most cases (O’Fallon et al., 2005).
Incidence of the Spinal Cord Injury
Incidence is the number of cases of traumatic SCI patients as per the universe of the sample in a year. In this case, the universe is one million. There are approximately 12,000 new cases on SCI each year. This is a rough estimate because in the UK, there is no primary data on incidence solely researched for the UK. It is, therefore, not verifiable if the incidence has changed over the recent years. They, nevertheless, depend on estimates. Between 1986 and 1990, there was an increase in incidence of SCI from 26.5 to 38 individuals per one million inhabitants. This is a sample for the UK (World Health Organization).
The incidence of SCI was majorly caused by motor vehicle crashes in the previous years. Unfortunately, this has changed during the last couple of decades. It has been said that the new leading causes of traumatic patients are falls. Symptoms mostly range from temporary numbness in certain body parts to full blown paralysis in most body parts. The condition is higher in older individuals. The number of adults suffering from traumatic SCI in the USA is currently at 43,137. The incidence among those aged 18 to 63 is more than 54 million during the previous three years.
The incidence among those aged 65 and above is currently at 87.7%. This is a drastic increase from the figure obtained in the last three years (79.4%). During the period used for the samples (three years), falls were the leading causes of increased number of incidences. In between the years 2000 and 2005, the age of adults with the highest number of incidence (traumatic injuries) was 41. The current figure is 51 (Population Reference Bureau, 2008).
Technological Improvements
Over the years, there have been technological improvements in the UK regarding this field. Innovations started after the Second World War (as stated in the introduction). In the midst of the 20th century, new approaches of preventing and treating urinary tract infections and other serious bed-sore problems were invented. This (at that point in time) helped a lot but did not aid in matters concerning paralysis (Commission of Accredition of Rehabilitation Facilities, 2008).
New strategies had to be created to deal with paralysis so as to maintain proper health of the people. In the 1970’s, standards for treating injuries of the spinal cord were formulated. These standards included fixing bones to prevent more pain and damage, exercises for the disabled, and repositioning of the spine. More advancement is being improvised by the day in terms of treating SCI.
There are external walking devices that may help the paralyzed to walk. Many people have been said to use such devices in their day to day lives. Many have also admitted that they have helped them. The only issue underlying is the pricing of such models. They are very expensive. In future, it is projected that they could be bought for half of the current price. This is an observation made by experts in the SCI and the technological field (Kurtzke, 2014).
From the external walking devices came the exoskeletons. They have proved to work on not only traumatic victims but also on stroke patients. This is one of the largest technological advancements in the medical field. The two walking innovations can be improved further such that they can also aid the victims in walking up and down stairs. This is a statement said by one of the inventors of the external walking devices.
Wheelchairs are getting lighter by the day. Other improvements that came along with them are voice commands and wheelchairs that can climb stairs. Scientists are also training completely paralyzed individuals on how to move their limbs by thought. The use of a chip is required in such instances. It is called ‘the brain-computer interface’. In the past, the progress attained was only 2.7 inches of movement, but currently, 7 inches of movement have been achieved.
Smart phones and social media are the most recent advancements in the field. They go a long way in replacing some kinds of studies that are difficult to finish among spinal cord patients. Finding patients in the same geographical area that should be treated and trained the same way has been very difficult. Smartphone applications and social media can provide similar venues, but they are more flexible through the Internet (Kurtzke, 2014).
Policy Improvements
Policy improvements on the SCI include formation of some organizations. For example, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (the nation’s oldest and largest civilian organization), aids in improving the quality of life for many American citizens. They recently began to educate the patients on how to attain higher levels of independence, health and personal fulfillment. They also raise awareness through their Peer Support Network (Jackson et al., 1985).
The ACI, state spinal cord injury service, is another service led by a clinical development committee which includes doctors and nurses. It also includes non-governmental organizations and consumers. The policy improvements are meant to make every individual access services. They are developed so that they can be able to define the national consistency. Quality measures have also been undertaken in the UK (United Kingdom Society of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2008).
The quality measures are implemented so as to find the best methods to make the organizations responsible for health care and to improve their services. These organizations have recently been prioritized to form a dashboard of independent authorities. One commission put to formulate such policies for health of SCI victims is the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation. It aIDresses a number of clinical issues and areas.
There have also been discussions on implementing national spinal cord registers in the UK and across the continent. This has helped researchers get information on prevalence, incidence, and cause of spinal cord injuries in the USA. Other policies implemented by the US government include centralization of treatment, rehabilitation, and life care of individuals with spinal cord injuries. Dedicated centers for the above services have also been established by the necessary authorities.
Current Position of Spinal Cord Injury
Despite the major innovations made in the field of treatment of SCI, there are major current highlights to be noted. Most paralysis reversal procedures are very dangerous, and this is one of the biggest problems in medical treatment. The major causes of SCI are road accidents and falls. SCI is currently said to be affecting the UK economy. Other areas affected are physical, psychological, social, and economic aspects on the patients and their families (Kent, 2009).
It has also occurred that nowadays, the young and otherwise healthy individuals have been said to be having SCI. Common causes of SCI are road accidents, work related injuries, sport related injuries, and at times, violent crimes. Motor vehicle accident victims constitute approximately 50% of those with SCI. Falls constitute to 30%. One common and novel complication is what is called the compressive contusive type injury. The common mechanisms of the injury are shearing, laceration, acute stretching, and suIDen acceleration-deceleration injuries (Kurtzke, 2014).
The government is more closely tied to SCI treatment than before. This is because the number of individuals with SCI has increased over the last few decades. Although the current numb of individuals with SCI is increasing, it is increasing at a decreasing rate. The rate of people getting SCI last year in the UK cannot be compared with the last 5 years. The government in the UK has played a major role in trying to treat and provide care for SCI patients (Kurtzke, 2014).
Implementation of rehab services is also a current issue in the SCI. The rehab facilities have proved to help the elderly reduce traumatic brain injuries and increase life expectancy of individuals with SCI. The current costs of treatment for SCI have also reduced a lot. The costs per life time for an individual range from one to three million dollars. In the previous years, the average figure for lifetime treatment was more than three million dollars per individual
(Lasfargues, 1980).
In terms of research, there are four key principles that are still being researched upon. They are:
Neuroprotection – preventing further damage to any surviving cells in the spinal cord.
Regeneration – stimulating the growth of axons.
Cell INSERTment – INSERTment of damaged cells.
Retraining and restoring normal body functions is another current issue being researched upon.
Comparison of Spinal Cord Injury in the UK to the Global History
The history of SCI varies from continent to continent. For example, in terms of quality of life, the UK recorded a higher value than Brazil, Israel, and other nations. The difference is small but very significant. In comparison, individuals who have recorded the highest quality of life are those who are under paid employment in all counties. Australia recorded a higher level of quality of life than Brazil, Israel, and the United Kingdom in that ranking order (Razdan, 1986).
With respect to life satisfaction, Canada has a higher life satisfaction level than the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa in that ranking order. United Kingdom, fortunately, did not record any decreasing life satisfaction levels. Employment of individuals determines one of the biggest differences between most of the nations discussed above. The United Kingdom has always had a higher level of employment of individuals with SCI than others (Yeo, 2008).
The developing and the developed countries also have very big differences in terms of the affected, treatment, and the way the SCI victims are perceived over the years. In developing countries, the cases of SCI are fewer than in the UK. The number of patients from SCI is majorly from road accidents. Falls do not actually amount to a significant amount of injuries from the SCI (Weerts, 2008).

References
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Bagnall, M., & Jones, L. (2007). Spinal cord centres for acute traumatic spinal injury, Napier, New Zealand. (pp. 10-16).
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Jackson, A. B., Dijkers, M. Devivo, & Poczatek R. B. (1981). A demographic profile of new traumatic spinall cord injuries. Change and Stability Over 30 Years.
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Weerts, E. (2008). Prevention of spinal cord injuries. Life in Trauma. Hanoi, Vietnam. (pp. 4-7).
World Health Organization. (2008). Convention on the rights of persons with disability. A Healthy Nation. New York: Oxford Press. (PP. 61-71).
Yeo, J., & Walsh, J. (2011). Mortality following spinal cord injury. Spinal cord. United Kingdom: Soldon Punlishers. (pp.57-61).