The general perception of a cure for spinal cord injury is the restoration of motor function. But injury to the spinal cord affects many systems and functions of the body including neural control of motor, sensory, autonomic, bowel and bladder. these functions are compromised.
The common complaints as a result are pain, pressure sores, infection, and diminished physiological well-being.
Therefore, the definition of cure should include much more than to walk again. It is important to define this term cure not only for measurements of clinical outcome but also to guide the ongoing research. The focus should be on
- Preventing the loss of function
- Restoring lost functions—including sensory, motor, bowel, bladder, autonomic, and sexual functions
- Elimination of complications- pain, spasticity, pressure sores (decubitus ulcers) and depression
All these are devised to produce the ultimate goal of fully restoring the activity and function of an individual to his or her preinjury levels.
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