The Wilson Centre sits on a peaceful, leafy headland looking out over the shimmering Waitemata Harbour to Rangitoto.
It’s the home of Te Whatu Ora’s National Child Rehabilitation Service – the country’s only spinal unit for children.
Spinal cord injuries are rarer in children. The proportions of their body are different, and so too is the impact of their injury. Even so, up to 10 children every year find themselves recovering from a spinal cord injury at the Wilson Centre. They stay there, with family members, for around 3 months, twice as long as an adult in the Middlemore or Burwood units.
The impact of a spinal cord injury on a growing body is even more complex than it is for adults. Movement and weight-bearing are fundamental to the growth of bones, muscles and organs.
Spinal cord injuries affect the growth of the spine itself. Bone growth is reliant on weight-bearing and the muscles developed through constant movement. Without these, the spine can curve – a condition called Scoliosis. In children with a spinal cord injury, Scoliosis is common and often severe. It can cause pain, impact organ function, and even restrict breathing.
It’s even more important for children that we find a way to cure spinal cord injury. Growing bodies need movement. We must find a cure fast.
To prevent scoliosis in children with a spinal cord injury the spine is often ‘rodded’. This involves laying long rods the length of the spine. It’s an extensive surgery and one that may need to be repeated as they grow. Rodding decreases flexibility and can restrict movement. It makes bending and propelling a wheelchair even more difficult.
Children’s feet, too, are impacted by not bearing weight. Bones don’t grow and arches don’t form without standing and walking. Youngsters’ feet are often splinted to encourage growth.
And it’s not just bones that need movement to grow. Bladder growth occurs through regular filling and voiding, gently stretching and increasing capacity over time. To facilitate that growth, children need to use in/out catheters, adding to the daily health routine and increasing dependence on carers.
That’s without navigating puberty (sometimes brought on early by the trauma) or addressing children and teenagers’ psycho-social development. Establishing independence when you’ve grown up with a spinal cord injury is so much more difficult.
Our children deserve the very best opportunities we can provide. A spinal cord injury impacts every aspect of their growth and development, physical and psychological. We need to find a cure fast. Your donations help to drive the search for a cure.
Did you know?
The growth plates at the ends of bones are activated by standing, by bearing our own weight. Children with spinal cord injuries need to stand for a minimum of an hour a day to encourage bones to develop. Standing frames are not all that cool. Join us in the search for a cure so children can grow.
Make a difference, today.
Thank you.