The Day to Day Struggles of a Paraplegic, Essay Example

Paraplegia is defined as an impairment of motor or sensory function in the lower extremities. This typical results from a spinal cord injury or defect that an individual gained before birth or through a damaging event. Therefore, some individuals are born with this disability, while others acquire it throughout their lives. Most paraplegic individuals require a wheelchair in order to be mobile and many of their daily life activities are altered significantly as a consequence of this need. Thus, it is important to consider the problems that are associated with this disability so that we may gain a greater understanding of these individuals, convincing others that we should not look upon paraplegics as outsiders. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to educate these individuals about the various foundations and organizations who can better their lives.

Even though many paraplegic individuals do not have the ability to walk or transport themselves, they make use of a wheelchair in order to retain their sense of independence. As a consequence, these individuals have many unique health needs that an individual that has control of their mobility does not. First, it is important for them to build strength in their arms so that they may freely transport themselves over an unlimited duration of time. It takes a lot of upper body strength to be able to operate a wheelchair, so it is important for wheelchair users to adapt to this necessity. Second, individuals who are able to walk on their own do not typically need to consider whether or not various parts of their body are receiving the proper blood flow. However, this is an important concern for paraplegics, who spend most of the day seated. Therefore, doctors recommend that these individuals spend a part of their day standing with assistance, typically through use of a standing frame, to ensure that the organ function related to blood flow will continue to be normal in these individuals.

In some cases, it is possible for doctors to treat individuals with paraplegia, but this often depends on the extent of the case. For example, some children born with spina bifida are paraplegics when they are younger, but the use of physical therapy over their period of growth has helped them only occasionally need use of their wheelchair. In some cases, the need for the wheelchair has been removed altogether. Recovery is more difficult for adults, who have left their growth stage and have little chance for their spine cells to regenerate. Therefore, those who become paraplegic later in life have a reduced chance of recovery.

Even though physical therapy is given to nearly all patients with paraplegia, doctors remind these patients that there is always risks of complication related to the paralysis of the lower extremities. One such concern is pressure sores related to constant sitting, in addition to thrombosis, which is prevention of blood flow through the circulatory system. Furthermore, the lack of physical activity that these individuals are able to get typically put them at high risk for pneumonia, because their immune system becomes generally weaker than the average individual. Since most paraplegics have experienced nerve damage during the process in which their spinal function was altered, many suffer from phantom pains that result from this nerve damage.

It is therefore important for paraplegics to ensure that their health remains normal. An important way to do so is by ensuring that the upper body is worked out, in addition to having friends and family help work out the lower body to prevent against symptoms related to muscle disuse. Furthermore, family members need to ensure that the individual is able to bathe him or herself regularly and provide assistance if this is necessary. Lastly, medications can be taken for some of the symptoms associated with high risk illness for this population, including antibiotics for pneumonia, or medication that reduces the sensation of nerve pain for the phantom limb phenomenon.

A major consideration for individuals with this disability is that they tend to become depressed because they feel that their lives are not as enjoyable with their particular limitations. The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation aims to help individuals with the disease by finding information that will help treat the disorder in addition to the resulting health needs of these patients. Furthermore, it provides individuals with a variety of resources that will help people determine how to best care for their paraplegic family members or for these individuals to care for themselves. One of the aspects of the illness that the foundation highlights is that it is likely for individuals to become depressed, and it may be useful for them to get support from other individuals going through the same thing. In addition, it would be helpful to ensure that they could receive individual or group therapy, and be prescribed relevant medication for depression if this is deemed necessary by a medical professional.

There are also many organizations that recognize that it is very expensive for patients with paraplegia to fund their own treatments due to their many medical needs. Therefore, they put forth efforts to raise money for these individuals and their families to help them pay their bills. These foundations often exist on local levels to ensure that all of the affected individuals within the community are taken care of. Furthermore, these organizations exist in many different countries around the world. For example, the Alberta Paraplegic Foundation aims to produce new scientific findings and provide financial assistance to members of the Alberta community by offering grants to academic institutions and hospitals.

Even though one could tell a lot about the life of a paraplegic from the currently existing medical knowledge, it is difficult to tell what each individual goes through on a daily basis from this information alone. It is important to consider that these struggles are very personal, and are the main reason that so many professionals and volunteers wish to dedicate their time to helping this patient population. Many victims of paraplegia later in life wish to use their stories to encourage others to participate in safer behavior in order to prevent others from experiencing the same disability.

One compelling story was presented by an army spouse by the name of Kelly Narowski. She became disabled because she noticed that her friend was too drunk to drive, and decided to take over the position of the driver in order to get her friend home safely. However, she failed to wear her seatbelt. Unfortunately, Narowski became distracted by conversation with her friend and began driving on an unsafe roadway. Her car veered left, hit the guard rail, and her body was trapped between the car and the side of the rail. In the process, she broke her ribs, collarbone, lungs, and her T6 vertebrae. From this point forward, she was paralyzed from the chest down. Her friend was completely unharmed because she was wearing a seatbelt. After Narowski had recovered to an extent, she decided that she would dedicate her life to ensuring that army personnel would drive safely. This came out of concern for her husband and his friends because statistically, army personnel are more likely to drive while tired as a consequences of their duties, which causes a greater likelihood of them getting into an accident. She also educates people to avoid driving while distracted, which includes drinking and driving in addition to texting and driving. Since she is a living example of what can occur if the proper precautions are not taken, she wishes to prevent this type of tragedy from occurring to others in the future (Rosario).

While Narowski acquired her paraplegia as a result of an accident, many individuals are born with the disorder as a consequence of a genetic defect. These individuals never knew what it was like to walk, and their ability to cope with the disorder is difficult as well, but somewhat different. Most children that are paraplegic are born with spina bifida. One individual who struggled through this as a child was Tatyana McFadden, who decided to push past her disability and become a champion in the Paralympics later in life.

When Tatyana was a young child, she was very depressed because she was always very sick and weak, and it took her longer than other children to learn to crawl since she was only able to use her arms. To make matters worse, she was orphaned as a young child. However, her adopted family fell in love with her and wished to make her succeed in sports, supporting the interest of their child. Despite her amazing ability, she met many boundaries along the way, the majority of which involved the lack of acceptance of her non-disabled teammates in high school. Even though she was very upset that people considered her different because of her wheelchair, she pushed past this judgment and became even more motivated to succeed. Since joining the Paralympic team at age 14, she has won many of her events and continues to push forward today (Hurley).

The Paralympics is an excellent example of one of the events that are put in place to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to compete against each other in a manner similar to that of those without these problems. One of the main problems that paraplegics face is that they do not participate as much in physical exercise because they believe that their paralysis restricts them. This is unfortunate because this would help them become healthier, both mentally and physical. Therefore, this organization encourages individuals with this disorder to push themselves and shows them that they have the ability to succeed despite their disability.

Since paraplegia is a life altering state, many scientists have taken efforts to find more effective treatments for the disease and are conducting research to determine if the paralysis can be reversed. One treatment technique that is currently being investigated is spinal stimulation, which involves sending electrical impulses to the spinal cord. While this did not demonstrate complete rehabilitation, a small study demonstrated that volunteers who were not able to move their toes, ankles, and knees were able to do so for the first time in years after receiving treatment. Some motion became less restricted than others, and at minimum, these individuals were able to flex these muscles slightly. It is therefore likely that this type of study would prove useful in a larger scale trial, which would be necessary before doctors would regularly use this type of therapy to help their patients. However, this is promising for many individuals with nerve damage that did not require any form of amputation. The extent to which this technique is useful will continue to be revealed in the future (Kern).

While many medical interventions are being tested to determine if nerve damage can be reversed for paraplegic patients, medical teams are also determining ways that technology can be used to increase the mobility of these individuals. An example of this is the production of an exoskeleton machine that helps paraplegic patients walk while standing upright. This is beneficial because it would reduce the problems that are associated with prolonged sitting, such as decreased blood flow, and it will also increase the potential mobility of these patients. Although wheelchairs have helped these patients transport themselves, this intervention is distinct because it will also help paraplegic individuals stand, walk, sit, and climb the stairs. Furthermore, this technology is expected to help reduce the medical costs of these individuals because it will lessen the severity of symptoms associated with the disorder (Salisbury).

In conclusion, paraplegia is a detrimental disease, but individuals with the disorder currently have many options that they could seek in order to improve their lives. Firstly, they should gain the support of their friends and family to help them achieve mobility and to ensure that they remain healthy. Any tasks that they could not perform themselves should be assisted. In addition, they can participate in support groups that will allow them to discuss the challenges that they face on a daily basis to those who understand directly what they are going through. Furthermore, it is helpful for them to participate in athletics, to improve their overall physical and mental health, and to provide a firsthand demonstration that despite their disability, they are capable of achieving great things. Most importantly, many of the foundations and organizations that are contributing to disease research and fundraising are contributing greatly to improving the living conditions of these individuals. For the first time in a while, scientists are generating new technologies that will help return nerve function to their patients. In addition, biotechnology is being formed that will assist their ability to walk and participate in more normal mobility activities. While this outlook is good, it is important for everyone to remember that paraplegics should not be treated differently, and we should offer them the support they need.

Works Cited

Hurley S. “Chasing Her Dream – Tatyana McFadden”. N.D. Web. 7 December 2014.

Kern M. “Spinal stimulation helps four patients with paraplegia regain voluntary movement”. 8 April 2014. Web. 7 December 2014.

Rosario K. “Army spouse, paraplegic shares personal story, urges Soldiers to drive safely”. 1 November 2014. Web. 7 December 2014.

Salisbury D. “Advanced exoskeleton promises more independence for people with paraplegia”. 30 October 2012. Web. 7 December 2014.