How to Cope with a Spinal Cord Injury
The loss of muscle functions and motor skills can be difficult to accept and process.
Research by NCBI shows between 250,000 and 500,000 spinal injuries occur each year. The high rate, coupled with the impact the condition poses physically, psychologically, and socially means creating awareness of coping strategies is paramount.
Here are some tips for coping with spinal cord injury:
Allow yourself to grieve
The loss of muscle functions and motor skills can be difficult to accept and process. It can evoke emotions that might sometimes get overwhelming. This is called grief.
Though everyone handles grief in their way, feelings of anger, denial, and depression are common. After one goes through these phases, making peace with the situation and accepting it becomes possible.
Don't bottle up heavy feelings
The main battle when a person suffers from spinal cord injury is always in the mind. A patient will keep reimagining how life would be if they hadn't sustained the injury, which can be draining when bottled up.
One way of easing the mental battle is expressing oneself. Pouring out the frustrations and negative feelings to a therapist, friend, family member, or support group provides an outlet. It also creates room for receiving empathy, support, and encouragement to view life differently.
Don't rush the recovery process
Recovery after sustaining a spinal cord injury is long, unpredictable, and complex. It requires a person to live one day at a time and to set realistic and achievable goals. Practicing patience doesn't mean giving up on progress. It means understanding that the recovery journey takes time and that each little progress is a stepping stone to recovery.
Say no to being a loner
Wanting isolation is natural when suffering from a spinal cord injury. However, the patient should try hard to fight these feelings of being alone. These feelings can increase depression, anxiety and worsen overall health.
Structure your day
A daily routine involving activities such as exercise can help restore order in the life of an SCI patient. Having something to look forward to gives a person a positive outlook. It also offers a sense of anticipation and can counter monotony and hopelessness.
Allow others to lend you a hand
Learning to ask for help is a transformative skill for individuals with SCI. The challenges this condition presents extend way beyond the physical realm. Remember, asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
It's possible to cope
As hard as it might be, learning to live with SCI is the beginning of a fruitful life. One should combat their emotions and accept the situation. From here, it's possible to embrace life with the help of loved ones.
If you are looking for occupational or physical therapy, vestibular rehab, wheelchair training, learning to walk, unweighting aquatic therapy, or other services in the Phoenix area, please call Touchstone Rehabilitation at 602-277-1073.