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40,000
people in the UK are paralysed and reliant on a wheelchair. This
figure increases by 1000 people per year, which equates to 3 people
being spinally injured every day. Many of these injuries occur
through road traffic accidents or sporting injuries, for example,
from rugby or horse riding. The average age of someone suffering
a spinal injury in the UK is 19.
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The
spinal cord is part of the central nervous system, and carries
signals to and from the brain which control almost every function
of the body. After a spinal cord injury these signals can no longer
be carried, and the injured person loses sensory (such as touch,
pressure and heat sensitivity) and muscle control. The degree
of paralysis depends on which part of the spinal cord is damaged
- injuries higher up the spine result in more paralysis than those
lower down. Damage in the neck area results in paralysis of the
body, including arms and legs and is known as tetraplegia or quadriplegia.
Injuries lower down the spine result in loss of control of leg
muscles which is known as paraplegia.
For
more information on spinal injury, click here (
www.spinal-research.org )
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