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Management of non‐traumatic paraplegia
Author(s) -
Penington Graeme R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1986.tb115922.x
Subject(s) - paraplegia , rehabilitation , spinal cord , medicine , tetraplegia , spinal cord injury , plea , neurological rehabilitation , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , spinal cord diseases , disease , psychiatry , pathology , political science , law
Spinal cord damage with resultant paraplegia or quadriplegia is associated with special problems that require expert attention, irrespective of the cause of the damage. Where the damage results from disease, as opposed to acute trauma, it is easy for these problems to be overlooked while attention is directed to the disease. A review is presented of 109 patients with spinal cord damage of non‐traumatic origin who were treated in a rehabilitation hospital. A plea is made for the recognition of the special needs of such persons, for the early involvement of spinal rehabilitation expertise in the management team, and for the availability of adequate and appropriate rehabilitation facilities.