A warning to women too – stay safe these summer holidays

Katie Franz wants to remind the public that spinal cord injuries can happen to anyone – even women.

Speaking at the state’s only Spinal Injuries Unit at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital today (THURS, 17 DEC), Katie said that while the majority of people who sustained a spinal cord injury were male, one in five were female.

The mother of two, who sustained her spinal cord injury in a road accident when she was just 16, is a frequent visitor to the 40-bed Unit as a Peer Support Officer with the Spinal Injuries Association, lending her support, first-hand advice and encouragement to newly-injured patients.

Katie’s warning coincides with the first week of the summer school holidays and at a time when the holiday road toll tends to increase. Road trauma is the number one cause of spinal cord injuries (around 40 per cent) followed by falls/crushes and water-related accidents.

“Each year around 90 Queenslanders sustain a spinal cord injury – an average of one

person every four days,” Katie said.

“The perception is that it’s always men who are sustaining these types of injuries and while that is mostly the case, women are also incurring spinal cord injuries from car and motorbike accidents, from falls and crushes, and from accidents in the water such as diving into a pool without checking its depth.

“There are currently 10 women at the Spinal Injuries Unit of various ages and from all walks of life – spinal cord injuries don’t discriminate.”

Spinal Injuries Unit Director Dr Sridhar Atresh said the Unit operated at 100% capacity throughout the year – such is the demand for acute rehabilitation for patients with either quadriplegia or paraplegia.

“The most common cause of spinal cord injury is motor vehicle accidents, with motorbikes featuring heavily for patients in the 25 to 30 year age group,” he said.

“The Spinal Injuries Unit has experienced high numbers of people with quadriplegia this year, with 50% of patients sustaining this injury above the C5 vertebrae.”

Spinal Injuries Association CEO Mark Henley said while there was always plenty of publicity surrounding the annual Queensland road toll, less was publicised about the devastating injuries that could be sustained in these types of accidents.

“Spinal cord injuries are often described as one of the worst injuries you can sustain,” Mr Henley said.

“The effect a spinal cord injury has on the body is enormous. Not only do newly-injured patients have to adjust to using a wheelchair, but their bladder and bowel control, body temperature, internal organs, balance, self confidence and emotional wellbeing are also affected.

“Speeding or driving erratically; driving while tired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol; texting or talking on your mobile while driving; diving into water without checking its depth; or any type of risky, unnecessary behaviour are all recipes for disaster. It can not only lead to loss of life, but permanent injury for which there is no chance of recovery.”

Katie’s experience as a patient at the Spinal Injuries Unit followed a car accident 14 years ago in which she was a passenger. It led to her sustaining paraplegia.

“This is not somewhere you want to be. While I have a fantastic life with my husband and two girls, things would be much easier if I didn’t have to use a wheelchair,” Katie said.

“In the Unit, you are back to being a baby. Everything is done for you and you have to learn everything all over again. You are so vulnerable; it’s not nice.

“But my outlook on life is extremely positive; I push the boundaries of disability on a daily basis and I want to inspire others to adopt that same philosophy. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you choose to react.”

The Spinal Injuries Association celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2010 and is dedicated to injury prevention.

Issued 17 December.