A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. Most injuries to the spinal cord don't completely sever it. Instead, an injury is more likely to cause fractures and compression of the vertebrae, which then crush and destroy the axons, extensions of nerve cells that carry signals up and down the spinal cord between the brain and the rest of the body. An injury to the spinal cord can damage a few, many, or almost all of these axons. Some injuries will allow almost complete recovery. Others will result in complete paralysis.
Symptoms
SCI can leave minimal weakness to complete paralysis at different body levels. When the cord is injured at or above shoulder level, the arms, and hands will be affected along with the trunk and lower limbs. Loss of hand and finger motion may severely restrict hand function. Properly fit positioning splints or braces can greatly improve function and independent in daily activities.
How a 3-Point Splint Can Help
Several 3-Point splints help to position the wrist and thumb so that even with minimal motion, hand function is made possible. The ThumSaver splints and the 3pp ThumDuction strap are recommended for positioning the thumb to improve pinch and grip. Oval-8 finger splints may be helpful to stabilize the fingers for better hand function.
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