How important is prompt treatment after a spinal cord injury?
A spinal cord injury caused by trauma is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Outcome and the degree of function preserved are directly affected by how promptly treatment is started. Corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone or methylprednisolone, are now administered after most traumatic spinal cord injuries. They can reduce swelling that could further damage the spinal cord, but they must be administered within 8 hours after the injury. If the spinal cord is compressed by a hematoma (a pooling of blood from internal bleeding) or a fragment of bone, these must be surgically removed as promptly as possible to prevent further damage to the spinal nerves. These treatments may reduce or prevent paralysis in some cases.
