The devastating effects of spinal cord injuries.

The incident happened one year ago this month. Superman, famous for flying rescues and other valiant feats, flew off his horse while riding in an equestrian event in Virginia and broke his neck. Christopher Reeve, the superhero of the movies, fractured the vertebrae at the very top of his spine. This traumatic injury to his spinal cord took away all his bodily functions below his neck. He could not breathe without a respirator, move an arm or leg, crook a finger. As the world waited for word of this popular movie star's condition, prime-time news bulletins explained the devastating effects of spinal cord injury.

Reeve became one of more than 1 0,000 people in the United States whose spinal cord was injured last year as a result of a car crash, a fall, sports injury, violence, or an injury caused by alcohol or other drugs. Almost without exception, the injuries were serious and often had permanent results. Some of the injured lost the ability to move their legs. Others lost all movement from the neck on down and the ability to breathe on their own, go to the bathroom, even perspire. And some did not survive.

Statistics show that about half of all spinal cord injuries occur in people age 15 to 29. The highest rates of all belong to teens between 15 and 19, and males are nearly three times more likely than females to be victims.

A Vital Link

It's no wonder these injuries can have such catastrophic consequences. Your spinal cord, a cord of tissue about the thickness of your little finger, extends from your brain and is its line of communication with the rest of your body. impulses travel up and down the spinal cord: For example, your brain tells your fingers to move as you type on a keyboard, or an urgent message of pain is flashed to your brain if you twist an ankle or step barefooted on a sharp rock.

The spinal cord is protected beautifully by your vertebrae, the bones of your spinal column that support the upper part of your body. These overlapping bones have holes that line up to form a tunnel, called the spinal canal, that encloses and protects the delicate bundle of nerve cells and fibers of your spinal cord. About 17 inches long in an adult, the spinal cord ends several inches above the waist, although nerve fibers branch off and continue to run down the rest of the spinal canal.

Each section of the spinal cord controls specific functions of various body parts. The upper section, in the cervical (neck) area, controls your diaphragm and breathing. The nerves in the upper and lower sections of the thoracic (chest) region control your arms, wrists, and hands. Lower down, at the top of the lumbar section of your spinal cord, are nerves that control your legs.

A Bad Break

Spinal cord injuries occur when the protective vertebrae are broken or dislocated, exerting harmful pressure on the spinal cord or even cutting through it. The result is a chain reaction of injury. First, there is the initial damage to the spinal cord nerves that are directly affected. Soon swelling and inflammation spreads, putting a deadly squeeze on other nerve cells within the spinal column. Dead nerve cells break down and release molecules called free radicals, which normally perform useful functions. In this case, however, free radicals trigger an undesirable immune system response and other biochemical changes that damage blood vessels and nerve cells.

The result can be paralysis from the site of the injury down to the toes. If the spinal cord is severely damaged at the neck, a person can become a quadriplegic, paralyzed and without feeling in the arms, body, and legs. If the lower spinal cord is affected, the person can become a paraplegic, with no feeling or movement in the lower part of the torso or legs.

Promising New Treatments

Medical science has come a long way in understanding how the spinal cord reacts to this damage. Fifty years ago, 90 percent of those who suffered spinal cord injury died. Today many more lives are being saved, and researchers are developing promising new treatments, such as drugs that can cut down on swelling and inflammation after injury. Other research may even lead to ways to regrow nerves in the spinal cord, which could eventually restore the line of communication between the brain and the body.

Christopher Reeve's spinal cord was severely bruised, not, cut. He began a slow recovery, carefully guided by an expert medical team, extensive physical therapy, and a loving and encouraging family.

Prevention is First and Foremost

Many spinal cord injuries could be prevented by simple precautions:

* Always wear a helmet when playing a sport that requires it. Wear a helmet when riding a bike.

* Never dive into water less than 9 feet deep and unless you are sure there are no unseen underwater objects you could hit. (Be aware of changing tides in the ocean.

* Always wear a safety belt.

RELATED ARTICLE: First Aid for Spinal Cord Injury

How should you react at the scene of an emergency that could involve a spinal cord injury? if you suspect a person has a spinal cord injury, treat him or her as if you were sure this is the case.

* Send for emergency medical help immediately.

* Do not change the person's position, twist or bend the person, or remove head gear such as a helmet.

* Do not move the person unless there is a life-threatening situation (such as fire). Try to keep the person still.

* If it is absolutely necessary to move the person, try to find something flat and sturdy, such as a board, to which you can tie the person at the shoulders and hips to support the spine. Support the person's head and neck.

* If you must move the person quickly out of harm's way, gently drag both arms or both legs (or better yet, grab the person's clothes if possible and drag). Try to keep the spine as straight as possible. Do not drag the person sideways.

RELATED ARTICLE: Who Gets Injured and How?

Young males are the most likely victims of spinal cord injury. An Oklahoma study found that nearly half of all spinal cord injuries are the result of motor vehicle crashes. Falls accounted for 20 percent, sports and other recreation incidents for 13 percent, violence for 11 percent, followed by falling objects, pedestrian accidents, and other causes.

Statistics in other parts of the country show that violence is causing increasing numbers of spinal cord injuries. A recent Philadelphia study showed that the number of such injuries caused by gunshot wounds had tripled in the area within the last decade.

Medical researchers also pointed to the increased number of spinal cord injuries among ice hockey players. Travis Troy, who broke his neck in the first minutes of his first hockey season at Boston University, is paralyzed for life. In Canada, where the sport is very popular, every year three times as many ice hockey players suffer spinal cord injuries as do American football players.

Diving into shallow water or hitting hidden objects under water are frequent causes of spinal cord injuries. The National Spinal Cord injury Data Research Center found that about two-thirds of diving injuries in the United States happen in lakes, rivers, and the ocean. one-third occur in swimming pools. in many cases, alcohol or other drugs are a major factor in these accidents creating a triple hazard: a diver who is less aware of dangers, less physically capable, and more likely to show off or take risks than he or she would be if sober. High school basketball star Ronnie Fields, who suffered a neck fracture in a recent car crash, underwent surgery to fuse two sections of the vertebrae. He was fitted with a halo brace to prevent neck movement--and is expected to fully recover and play again.

RELATED ARTICLE: First Aid for Spinal Cord Injury

How should you react at the scene of an emergency that could involve a spinal cord injury? if you suspect a person has a spinal cord injury, treat him or her as if you were sure this is the case.

* Send for emergency medical help immediately.

* Do not change the person's position, twist or bend the person, or remove head gear such as a helmet.

* Do not move the person unless there is a life-threatening situation (such as fire). Try to keep the person still.

* If it is absolutely necessary to move the person, try to find something flat and sturdy, such as a board, to which you can tie the person at the shoulders and hips to support the spine. Support the person's head and neck.

* If you must move the person quickly out of harm's way, gently drag both arms or both legs (or better yet, grab the person's clothes if possible and drag). Try to keep the spine as straight as possible. Do not drag the person sideways.

RELATED ARTICLE: Who Gets Injured and How?

Young males are the most likely victims of spinal cord injury. An Oklahoma study found that nearly half of all spinal cord injuries are the result of motor vehicle crashes. Falls accounted for 20 percent, sports and other recreation incidents for 13 percent, violence for 11 percent, followed by falling objects, pedestrian accidents, and other causes.

Statistics in other parts of the country show that violence is causing increasing numbers of spinal cord injuries. A recent Philadelphia study showed that the number of such injuries caused by gunshot wounds had tripled in the area within the last decade.

Medical researchers also pointed to the increased number of spinal cord injuries among ice hockey players. Travis Troy, who broke his neck in the first minutes of his first hockey season at Boston University, is paralyzed for life. In Canada, where the sport is very popular, every year three times as many ice hockey players suffer spinal cord injuries as do American football players.

Diving into shallow water or hitting hidden objects under water are frequent causes of spinal cord injuries. The National Spinal Cord injury Data Research Center found that about two-thirds of diving injuries in the United States happen in lakes, rivers, and the ocean. one-third occur in swimming pools. in many cases, alcohol or other drugs are a major factor in these accidents creating a triple hazard: a diver who is less aware of dangers, less physically capable, and more likely to show off or take risks than he or she would be if sober.