Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Concerning Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day is observed annually on May 14 to promote awareness of people with spinal cord injuries in the United Kingdom and to educate the public about the injury’s impact, effect, and treatment. Did you know that spinal cord injuries have been documented since 3000 B.C.? A spinal cord injury (SCI) is any impairment to the nerves or spinal cord. Typically, this injury results in permanent loss of strength, sensation, and autonomic function below the site of injury. Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day is a collaboration between the Spinal Injuries Association, Aspire, Back Up, and Spinal Research.

The background of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day

Edwin Smith’s papyrus from 2,500 B.C. contains the earliest record of spinal cord injuries. The ancient Egyptian physicians deemed the injury “untreatable.” In ancient India, Hindu physicians utilised traction techniques to align the spine as the first treatment for spinal cord injuries. The Greeks utilised the same strategy as the Hindus. For instance, Hippocrates, who was born in the fifth century B.C., invented traction devices that enabled patients’ spines to become straight. Galen, a Greek physician, did not identify the connection between spinal cord injuries and loss of autonomic function and sensation until the second century A.D.

Paul of Aegina, who was born in 625 A.D., was the first physician to pioneer spinal cord injury surgical techniques. He recommended using a windlass to diminish the dislocation and performed laminectomy to relieve pressure on the spine. Physicians continued to believe that spinal cord injuries were intractable until the latter half of the 20th century; the prevailing belief was that spinal cord injuries were incurable. Although during the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci and Andreas Vesalius made contributions to S.C.I. through their accurate depictions of the human spine and nerves, no other Renaissance artists made significant contributions to the field.

In 1981, Albert Aguayo and Sam David of Canada disproved the centuries-old notion that S.C.I. is incurable. Experiments on rats demonstrated that, in the proper environment, axons can regenerate in the central nervous system. The introduction of imaging, surgery, medical care, and rehabilitation medicine during the middle of the 20th century aided in the improvement of spinal cord injury care and increased the life expectancy of those with the condition. In addition, the development of emergency medical transport services in the 1970s contributed to these SCI treatment advancements.

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5 IMPORTANT FACTS Concerning Spinal Cord Injuries

Injuries to the spinal cord disrupt the connection between the spine and the sweat gland, resulting in abnormal perspiration.

Some individuals with paraplegia have urinary conduits connected to catheters that are inserted through holes in their belly buttons.

About 82% of spinal cord injury patients worldwide are male.

Despite their condition, people with spinal cord injuries can become parents; however, males must use artificial means to inseminate their partners.

Compared to the beginning of the 20th century, the life expectancy of individuals with S.C.I. has increased approximately 2,000%.

SPINAL CORD INJURY AWARENESS DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	May 14	Sunday
2024	May 14	Tuesday
2025	May 14	Wednesday
2026	May 14	Thursday
2027	May 14	Friday