STA

Y

SAFE

STA

Y

SAFE

Preve

nting Spina

l Cord

Injury

SafetyPatrol

Watch Your Step

Everyone falls down

. What you may notrealize

, however, is that many spinal cordinjuries occur from simple falls

. When walkingor running

, always watch your step and lookfor hazards that may cause you to slip

, suchas a wet floor or an icysidewalk

. Never overreach when using a stepstool or ladder. Not allaccidents can beavoided

, but beingmore careful in yourdaily activities can mak

ea big difference

.

For more information please visitUnited Spinal Association’s W

eb site atwww.unitedspinal.org

or contact us at:75-20 Astoria Boulevard

Jackson Heights, NY 11370

718-803-3782e-mail: info@unitedspinal

.org

Some U

seful Resources

Think First, www.thinkfirst.org

, is an award-winning public education program of theNational Injur

y Prevention F

oundation thateducates young people about personalvulnerability and risk taking

.Its focus is

on brain injury and SCI prevention

.

Spinal Cord Injury Information Network

,www.spinalcord.uab.edu

, is a web siteof the Model SCI System at the Universityof

Alabama at

Birmingham.This site

contains resources about many aspectsof SCI

, including a section on prevention.

National Safe Kids Campaign,

www.safekids.org

, promotes safety frominjur

y for children ages 14 and underfrom a variety of causes

, includingvehicular and swimming accidents

,burns

, falls and poisoning.Its programs

are provided through 314 state andlocal SAFE KIDS coalitions

.

©2005 U

nited Spinal A

ssociation2005-0325-001/M

TM

What is Spinal Cord Injury?

Your spinal cord extends from the base ofyour brain

, all the way down your neck andthe middle of your back to your waist

. Thespinal cord is filled with ner

ves that carry

messages (called impulses) back and forthfrom all parts of your body to your brain

.

A spinal cord injury occurs when

someone suffers a traumatic injury

to their neck or back that causesso much damage to the spinalcord that some ner

ves can nolonger send messages tothe brain

.

The most common types

of injuries are caused bybruising of the spinal cord orpressure on the spinal cord

. Spinalcord injur

y may affect a person’sability to use their arms

, legs, and

other parts of their body. It may also causedifficulty breathing

, and can affect sense offeeling or touch

. The types of disability,however, var

y depending on the severityand location of the injur

y on the spinal cord.

Medical treatment and care help mostpeople with spinal cord injur

y lead full andproductive lives

.

Did You Know . . .

• Ever

y 41 minutes a person in the UnitedStates sustains a spinal cord injur

y.

• There are about 11,000 new cases ofspinal cord injur

y reported in the UnitedStates each year.

• The total number of people with spinal cordinjuries in the United States is estimated tobe 222,000 to 285,000.

• Males are more lik

ely to sustain a spinalcord injur

y and account for over 78% ofinjuries reported

.

• Reports show that most of the people whosuffer spinal cord injuries are between the

ages of 16 and 30, but the averageage at injur

y has been steadily rising.

How D

o People Get Hurt?

A recent study published by theNational Spinal Cord Injur

yStatistical Center ofBirmingham, Alabama reports

that motor vehicle accidents(50%) and falls (23.8%)account for most spinal cordinjur

y cases in the UnitedStates

. Other causes include actsof violence (11.2%) and sports (9.0%).Many of these injuries may have beenprevented if individuals took theproper safety precautions

.

Stay SafeNot many people believe they canbecome a statistic of spinal cordinjur

y; however, it happens every day.

It is important to know that spinal cordinjur

y can happen to anyone at anytime

. There are some protectivemeasures you can tak

e to avoidgetting a spinal cord injur

y:

Buckle-Up

Always mak

e sure to wear your seatbeltwhen traveling in an automobile

. Thereare approximately 6.4 millionautomobile accidents each year. TheU.S

. Department of Transportation

estimates that the typical driver willbe involved in an accident of sometype on an average of ever

y 6 years.

Automobileaccidents canoccur when you leastexpect

them, so it

’simportant to always wearyour seatbelt at all times

.

Wear Your H

elmet

Always mak

e sure to wear a helmetwhen riding on a bicycle

.Each year, over 500,000people receive bicycle-relatedinjuries

. Bicycle helmetsprotect your head in case youfall or get into an accident

.Your helmet should have a

sticker on it from the Consumer

Product Safety Commission(CPSC), certifying that it meetsgovernmental safety standards

.If your helmet doesn't have aCPSC stick

er, get one that does.

Swim Safely

When swimming, never dive into an

unfamiliar body of water or swimmingpool

. Always practice “feet first

, firsttime” to learn the depth of the water.