62 percent of the beds set aside for spinal cord injuries in Germany can be found in BG clinics.
The first BG treatment centre for spinal cord injuries was opened in 1969 at the trauma clinic in Murnau. In the spinal cord injury centres of the BG clinics, patients receive comprehensive care. An experienced team made up of staff from the fields of nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy, speech therapy, sports therapy, social work and other disciplines has all the equipment and personnel of a full-service hospital at its disposal. The combination centres on the patient and facilitates a cost-effective and quality-oriented development of individual approaches to therapy.
In terms of acute care, an effective survival chain with helicopters on call throughout the area make it possible to keep even those requiring resuscitation and suffering from complete paralysis with an injury above the fourth cervical vertebrae alive while being transported to a centre for spinal cord injuries. The primary goal is to determine where the spinal injury is located in order to relieve the spinal cord of possible pressure surgically and stabilise the spine.
Physiotherapy begins as early as in the intensive care unit. The aim is to prevent bedsores and spasticity. In addition, lung function disorders are alleviated through respiratory therapy, as it may not be possible for the patient to breath independently. With a view to the subsequent rehabilitation, individual bowel management and control of the bladder function are initiated. Cystoparalysis has a life-limiting effect to this day because it can lead to kidney damage. Therefore, lifelong aftercare always includes simultaneous consulting by the neuro-urologists.
Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are always a great challenge for patients. The exercises are difficult as the muscles can only be partially controlled and the whole body has to be moved with these. Transfer from the bed to the wheelchair or, for example, from the wheelchair to the car are constant exercise elements. Training and taking pleasure from movement form the basis for the main life skills and dealing with the wheelchair, which is adapted to suit the patient's personal capabilities.
During the inpatient treatment, a reintegration commission convenes for each patient. It assesses what participation in life facilitates or makes possible for the patient. This concerns everything from computer-supported environmental control equipment through to adapted amenities in the home.
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