Yes You Can - Fourth Edition - 219

4.g | Aging The aging process affects everyone, but aging with a spinal cord injury [SCI] presents its own challenges. This section reviews some possible complications of aging with SCI. Before the 1940s, most people with SCI died within a year as a result of medical complications from their injury, so little was known about how aging would aﬀect people with SCI. The introduction of antibiotics and other specialized treatments gradually increased the life expectancy of persons with SCI. Recently, survival and life expectancy have also improved for people who need ventilators to help with their breathing. Now that people with SCI live much longer, we can see what problems might develop as they age. you age, it’s more and more important to do your pressure releases and use bed and seating surfaces that reduce pressure on your skin. [ Section 4 ] Musculoskeletal System After SCI, many people use wheelchairs or crutches for mobility. Activities like pushing a manual wheelchair, holding yourself up during transfers, and using crutches put increased demands on your arms. Repetitive stress on the arms can increase your risk for problems in your shoulders and wrists. Some of the most common injuries to the arms are rotator cuﬀ tears [a tear in one or more of the muscles surrounding the shoulder], tendonitis [inﬂammation of the muscle’s connective tissue], and carpal tunnel injury [injury to the nerves in the wrists]. The risk of overuse or repetitive stress injuries increases over time. Many of these problems can be prevented with early intervention with regard to equipment, proper transfer training, and education [see sections 1.g, Muscles and Bones, and 2.c, Limbs Preservation and Posture]. To prevent loss of function, it is important to be aware of movements and activities that can cause repeated stress to joints, and ﬁnd ways to avoid this stress. 4.g Level of Injury The level of injury to your spinal cord will probably stay the same as you age. Some people with SCI develop a condition known as posttraumatic syringomyelia [syrinx] that can increase the injury level. A syrinx is a cyst-like, ﬂuid-ﬁlled area inside the spinal cord near your original injury. It sometimes causes a loss of strength or sensation by injuring a part of the spinal cord that’s still working. Whenever you experience a change in sensation or function from your baseline, report it to your health-care provider right away. Circulatory System Heart disease is common among people with SCI and is one of the leading causes of death. SCI can lead to decreased physical activity and weight gain, which are two of the main causes of heart disease. Many people with SCI, especially those with tetraplegia, have too much low-density lipoprotein [LDL, the “bad cholesterol”] in their blood and not enough high-density lipoprotein [HDL, the “good cholesterol”]. Your doctor should check your cholesterol levels; medications are available to change these levels and reduce your risk for Skin SCI increases your risk for skin injury because of reduced sensation and decreased movement. Prolonged pressure can lead to pressure ulcers. As you age, you lose the layer of fatty tissue under the skin that provides padding and protection from injury. Some people also have less blood ﬂow to their skin, which causes slower and more diﬃcult healing when skin breakdown does occur. As Section 4: Staying Healthy after SCI! | [ 219 ]

Yes You Can - Fourth Edition

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Yes You Can - Fourth Edition