Immediately after spinal cord injury, some calcium and minerals often leave the bones. Eventually, these minerals may be deposited in the urinary system causing calculi, or "stones."

    Activity will slow down this process. Therefore, we try to get you out of bed and encourage you to be as active as you can.

   If you have no feeling or sensation, you don't know when your bladder is full. Frequently, the muscles in the bladder are so weak that it cannot empty completely. You can also not control the starting and stopping of the flow of urine. Therefore, early in your treatment, we put in an indwelling catheter or use intermittent catheterization. Later, the muscle tone may improve so that an indwelling catheter will not be necessary.

   To keep your urinary system healthy, keep as active as possible and drink liquids within your fluid allotment. It is also important to use scrupulous care in cleanliness and when carrying out procedures to prevent urinary tract complications. We describe how to do all this in the Urinary Tract Management section.