What is spinal cord injury?
A spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that leads to reduced function or a loss of function below this damaged level. This may result in a child having reduced mobility or ability to move and reduced ability to feel different sensations.
The spine is made up of individual bony vertebra with the spinal cord running down the middle. This connects and transports the messages from the brain to the body's muscles to allow movement and to the skin to allow feeling or sensation as well as a number of other roles. The symptoms a child or young person presents with depend on the level and extent of their injury.
Spinal cord injuries are commonly caused by trauma however, they can occur for a number of different reasons.