Ways Spinal Rehab Helps When You're Recovering From A Spinal Injury

If you have a spinal cord injury, you may be dealing with back pain or limited mobility. Spinal cord injuries can leave you severely affected, or you may have mild symptoms. Either way, spinal rehab can help. You might receive treatment in a spinal rehabilitation center as an inpatient or outpatient depending on your condition. Here are some ways spinal rehab can help after you have a spine injury. 

Manage Pain

You might receive treatments for back pain so you don't have to rely as much on painkillers. You might wear an electrical stimulation device, receive ultrasound treatments that deliver heat to your back tissues, or have injections in your back. Even treatments such as stretching and massage therapy can improve circulation and help with pain and healing.

Improve Strength And Flexibility

Physical therapy is an important component of spinal rehab. You might do exercises in a pool so the water can support your weight. Your therapist might do passive exercises that keep your body flexible. Strengthening exercises are also important so your muscles don't get weak due to limited mobility. Strong muscles support and protect your spine, so exercise is important for spinal rehabilitation.

Speed Healing

Spinal rehab is done to help with pain and healing. It can also be used to slow the progression of spinal damage. This might be done with hyperbaric oxygen treatments. These treatments deliver oxygen to damaged tissues to speed healing, prevent further damage, and reduce inflammation and pain.

Regenerative medicine might also be used to help restore damaged tissues in your spine depending on your condition. You might find a rehab clinic that offers stem cell or platelet-rich plasma injections that stimulate your tissues to grow and repair themselves.

Low-level laser therapy might also be a consideration. With this, light is used to stimulate the cells and reduce inflammation. The treatment is painless and involves shining the laser light on your skin so it penetrates deep into your back to affect injured spinal tissues.

Adapt To Your Condition

Spinal rehab might also include occupational therapy treatments that help you adapt your daily activities so you're able to do them with the new limitations you have. This might include learning how to use mobility aids, special equipment for eating, and tools that help you dress. Occupational therapy helps you be as independent as possible even if your injury severely affects the movement of your arms and legs.

You may need instruction for living with a wheelchair from an occupational or physical therapist, and you might need an evaluation of your home so it can be made safer and easier for you to navigate once you go home from rehab.