Dr. Seldomridge's Class

Thank you for having me.  I am Charlie Endicott, Associate Director of Career Services.  
-Your task today is to figure why I am like I am
-What happened?
-Was I born like this?
-Medications?
-Complications?
-Rehab?
-Surgeries?
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-I will try to help you out with some personal facts

My Background:
Graduate from college in 1977-undergraduate in Industrial Personnel Psychology
Went to work in the WV coal mines in 1976-Worked underground for 15 years.
Worked as a Personnel Director for Eastern Associated Coal for 2 years
Went back to college in 1988 and acquired my Bachelors Degree in Social Studies Education and Special Education-Fairmont State University-Also achieved my MA in Counseling at WVU.
Went to work in Higher Education in 1992 as an Admissions Counselor-Fairmont State University-then was the Director of Career Services-FSU
Moved to Salisbury in 1997.
-I am now 54 years old!
3 children-one has graduated with her MSW and have twins in college now.  I will be a grandfather in October

Interests:
Any type of athletics-football, baseball, hockey, golf, swimming, surfing, ping pong, etc.
I am very active-truly enjoy any kind of physical activities.
Must stay busy and active.
Enjoy traveling.

Health Background:
Knee and wrist surgeries from football
2 known concussions from football
Father has heart issues-mother a stroke

Click here for power point
 

SPINAL CORD INJURY FACTS:
With 247,000 Americans currently living with a spinal cord injury, and approx. 11,000 injuries occurring each year, daily routines such as driving a car or walking down a flight of stairs, can unexpectedly result in a life changing injury with physical and lifestyle constraints. For the past 20 years, the number of injuries per million has remained stable at 40 incidents per million.

Children make up 5% of persons living with a spinal cord injury, which is usually the result of a traffic accident or fall. A much higher percentage group is the young adults. They, mostly male, make up 78.2% of Americans living with a spinal cord injury. Although, the average age this injury occurs has been increasing. In the 1970’s the average age was 28.6 years. Currently, the average is at 38 years. This is largely due to the greater number of injuries occurring in persons over the age of 60.

Most frequent category at time of discharge is incomplete quadriplegia (34.3%), followed by complete paraplegia (25.1%), complete quadriplegia (22.1%), and incomplete paraplegia (17.5%). A study by Maynard showed that individuals with incomplete paraplegia or tetraplegia have higher rates of improvement in motor function.
Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis affecting all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis or loss of function.
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities.

Another study done by Maynard shows that 87% of patients with incomplete motor function and 47% of patients with incomplete sensory function at 72 hours after time of injury, recovered the ability to walk within the year.

Motor vehicle crashes and traffic accidents, at 50.4%, are the leading causes of spinal cord injury. Injuries caused by falls come in second at 23.8% while the rest follows with: violent acts (primarily gunshot wounds) at 11.2% and sports activities at 9%. However, there seems to be a decrease in work related injuries and an increase of injuries caused by sports and recreational activities.

Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff

Spinal cord injury symptoms depend on two factors:

The location of the injury. In general, injuries that are higher in your spinal cord produce more paralysis. For example, a spinal cord injury at the neck level may cause paralysis in both arms and legs and make it impossible to breathe without a respirator, while a lower injury may affect only your legs and lower parts of your body.
The severity of the injury. Spinal cord injuries are classified as partial or complete, depending on how much of the cord width is damaged.

In a partial spinal cord injury, which may also be called an incomplete injury, the spinal cord is able to convey some messages to or from your brain. So people with partial spinal cord injury retain some sensation and possibly some motor function below the affected area.

A complete spinal cord injury is defined by total or near-total loss of motor function and sensation below the area of injury. However, even in a complete injury, the spinal cord is almost never completely cut in half. Doctors use the term "complete" to describe a large amount of damage to the spinal cord. It's a key distinction because many people with partial spinal cord injuries are able to experience significant recovery, while those with complete injuries are not.

Spinal cord injuries of any kind may result in one or more of the following signs and symptoms:

Pain or an intense stinging sensation caused by damage to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord
Loss of movement
Loss of sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold and touch
Loss of bowel or bladder control
Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms
Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility
Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from your lungs
 
Emergency signs and symptoms
-Emergency signs and symptoms of spinal cord injury after a head injury or accident may include:

Fading in and out of consciousness
Extreme back pain or pressure in your neck, head or back
Weakness, loss of coordination or paralysis in any part of your body
Numbness, tingling or loss of sensation in your hands, fingers, feet or toes
Loss of bladder or bowel control
Difficulty with balance and walking
Impaired breathing after injury
An oddly positioned or twisted neck or back