This article is reprinted with permission from the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
The summer months are some of the busiest for spinal cord injuries, warn leading doctors at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. As we head into summer, doctors and researchers say that safety precautions are the best measures to prevent spinal cord injury (SCI) during the high-risk months and year round.
According to the Spinal Cord Injury Information Network, there are more than 13,000 spinal cord injuries reported each year, with an increase in cases occurring during the summer months. Doctors at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis feel this timeframe has the largest numbers of spinal cord injury cases reported due to increased participation in recreational activities and trips in motor vehicles, which make up nearly 50 percent of SCI cases annually.
“While summertime tends to have higher incidence of SCI, we urge everyone to always take caution while swimming and diving and to wear helmets, seat belts and use the proper sports safety equipment during recreational activities,” said Dr. Barth Green, an internationally recognized expert in the field of spinal cord injury and Co-Founder of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. “Spinal cord injury primarily affects the young, with more than half of all injuries occurring among the 16 to 30 year age group. Many children are participating in summer camps and sporting activities so we need to urge caution.”
“While summertime tends to have higher incidence of SCI, we urge everyone to always take caution while swimming and diving and to wear helmets, seat belts and use the proper sports safety equipment during recreational activities.”
Additionally, raising awareness of spinal cord injury through public education, high-profile fundraising and special events is a goal and ongoing mission of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project.
“The number of people affected by spinal cord injury is growing each year because people are generally living longer due to better quality of care. We hope to raise awareness through government funding, private donations and general fundraising so that The Miami Project can continue to make scientific breakthroughs that buoy the hopes of the millions of families throughout the world who cope with spinal cord injury,” said Marc Buoniconti, President of The Miami Project and The Buoniconti Fund.
The Miami Project’s research efforts have made successful advancements in improving outcomes of those who become injured through pioneering hypothermia research and intraoperative monitoring techniques. Additionally, researchers are also addressing the quality of life issues that occur after injury such as treating pain, spasticity, autonomic functions and male fertility.
“Our research in basic sciences is aimed at understanding and reversing the neurological consequences of the injuries. Our research in clinical sciences is aimed at evaluating and improving strategies that maximize function in persons living with spinal cord injuries today,” noted Dr. W. Dalton Dietrich, The Miami Project’s Scientific Director. “By uniting a broad range of expertise, our team of scientists is accelerating the search for effective treatments for SCI and other neurological disorders.”
I am personally aware of at least three incidents in our lake area that have resulted in spinal cord injuries. Diving off a dock or pontoon without any knowledge of the bottom, skiing too close to a dock and doing these things while drinking are things you want to never try. These people would be the first to tell you, “if it seems like a stupid thing to do, don’t do it.”