Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month: 5 Ways You Can Help

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are more prevalent than you may realize, with an estimated 296k people living with them in the US. With that many of our friends and neighbors affected, understanding how we can support them and raise awareness is crucial.

In 2013, the US Senate declared every September National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month to educate and equip those with SCIs and those in their lives. Read on to learn more about how you can help — during September and beyond.

How to Show Your SCI Support

One of the best ways to be a champion for your loved one with SCI is to let them figure out what they can and cannot do on their own rather than trying to immediately do everything for them. Doing so could cause them to feel frustrated and belittled, which is not what you want.

In addition, people who have suffered from SCIs often find themselves suddenly excluded from events they would have been invited to in the past. Particularly for the newly injured who are dealing with so many feelings of loss, this is easy to remedy and significantly impacts their sense of well-being.

Following are some other ways you can contribute to Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month every September.

5 Things to Focus On

Education

Educating yourself to better educate others is perhaps the most important thing you can do to raise SCI awareness. The best part is that you do not have to have a scientific background — accessible resource lists, blogs, and testimonials are readily available for you to use to learn more about SCIs and how you can better support people living with them.

Even just understanding basic SCI stats can help you feel enabled to talk to others about it. For example, SCIs are caused by a medical event such as ALS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or tumors, or trauma such as car accidents or falls, to name just a few. Caucasian people are more disposed to SCIs, and incomplete tetraplegia, or the inability to move the upper and lower parts of the body, is the most commonly experienced injury level.

Conversations

One easy way to show your support for those you love with SCI and raise awareness is to wear the lime green ribbon that symbolizes SCIs. Doing so allows people who are not familiar with it to start a conversation during which you can educate them and explain your connection to SCI.

Events

Another effective way to raise awareness about SCIs is to attend events, which can be found through online searches for phrases such as “spinal cord injury awareness events near me” or similar. Particularly during September, you can find events nearby that allow you to attend and support the cause.

Even better, you can host your own event, such as a charity run, festivals, galas, or auctions. Further, if you are adept at public speaking, you could volunteer to talk to a group at a school or library to inform the public about topics, including the following.

Causes, symptoms, risk factors, and treatments for SCIs
How SCIs affect people physically, emotionally, and financially
Current SCI research findings
Living with SCIs such as employment and mobility

Donations

Many SCI researchers rely on donations to fund advancements. Being generous with your own donations makes this research possible. And if you’re so inclined, you can create your own fundraising efforts, whether through online sources such as GoFundMe or a similar platform so your friends and family can contribute. In addition to creating opportunities for people to give financially, you can use your social media accounts to spread awareness further.

Encouragement

Exercise is incredibly beneficial for everyone but especially people with SCI. Movement is known to improve not only physical ability but also emotional health and perceived quality of life. One of the most effective ways for someone with an SCI to move is through FES exercise, which uses electrical stimulation to encourage paralyzed muscles to move.

According to the 2015 Annual Report by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, 90% of people with spinal cord injuries are injured at T-12 or above. This statistic indicates that 9 out of 10 people with an SCI can benefit from FES cycling. Our FES-implementing MyoCycle provides the ideal exercise for people with paralysis, whether from SCI or another cause. You can help your loved one be excited and consistent about exercise and helping them as they begin to use the machine.

MYOLYN Is Your Empowerment Partner for SCI Awareness

At MYOLYN, our mission is to facilitate exercise for and improve the lives of people with paralysis. Whether you have an SCI or care for someone who does, we can help you find the resources you need to learn how the rediscovery of movement is possible. Contact us to learn more about the MyoCycle and the extraordinary benefits of FES exercise on quality of life and overall wellbeing.