9 era ep ps Saving Children’s Spines (NAPSA)—While between 1,500 to 2,000 children and adolescents sustain spinal cord injuries every year, you can help keep your kids out of suchstatistics. Thespinal cordis the bundle of nervesinside the backbone. It controls voluntary actions—moving arms or legs—and involuntary actions—digestion or breathing. Spinal cord injury can result in paralysis and disruption of bowel, bladder and sexual function. Such injuries can alsoaffectall areas of life, including relationships, mental health, independentliving, education, employment and overall satisfaction with life. Spinal cord injury also lowers life expectancy and can lead to complications, including urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, pain, depression andspasticity. What You Can Do Most spinal cord injuries are dueto accidents. Parents can protect their children in several ways. For example: When driving: Avoid distractions, including texting, talking on the phone,eating, disruptive passengers or pets. Never drink and drive. Be sure everyone wears a seat belt and properly restrain children under age 12 in the backseat. Young children should be in age-, height- and weight-appropriate safety or booster seats. Teach safe driving habits (especially avoidingdistractions) to your teen drivers. Prevent falls: Avoid throw rugs in the home. Replaceor repair torn carpets. Keep your home and stairways well lit and floors and pathwaysclear. Avoid violence: Teach children never to play with guns and keep them locked, outofsight and unloaded. Dive with caution: Have clearly visible depth indicators around the entire pool. Don’t let anyonedive into water less than 9 feet deep or into any above-ground Safety is no accident: Proper caution could save many children from spinal cord injury. pool. Be sure the pool area is adequatelylit. Playground precautions: Check playground and playing fields to be sure they are properly maintained and equipment meets safety standards. Be sure thereis appropriate adult supervision. Trampoline rules: Have pro- tective padding on supports and surrounding land surfaces. Only oneperson onat time. Sports suggestions: All athletes should always wear appropriate clothes, shoes and safety gear. Shriners Hospitals for Children, which opened the first spinal cord injury rehabilitation centers dedicated exclusively to rehabilitation and management of pediatric spinal cord injury, is com- mitted to decreasing the number of preventable pediatric spinal cord injuries by raising awareness and providing educational materials, especially to parents and families. Learn More Shriners Hospitals for Children cares for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Further facts and free materials are available at shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.
