Spinal Cord Injuries

Symptoms and Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

In the case of spinal cord injuries, damage may involve the actual nerves, or it may involve indirect damage to the bones. This can result in the inability to move or control certain parts of the body. The location of the injury location and severity of the damage will determine the potental for future recovery. Medical care, ongoing rehabilitation, and ongoing personal care costs can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a traumatic injury which may involve a spinal cord injury, there are possible signs that a serious spinal injury has occurred. Symptoms may include:

• Severe back pain
• Neck discomfort
• Paralysis – the inability to move is not necessarily caused by a direct injury
• Weakness, tingling, or numbness in the extremities
• Sudden loss of bowel or bladder control

There are two kinds of spinal cord injuries — complete and incomplete. A complete injury involves a complete loss of all ability to feel or function below the injury site. In an incomplete injury, there may be some loss of functioning below the level of the injury.

What To Expect After A Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries tend to require extensive and expensive medical treatment and physical therapy. Even with the best of treatment, many spinal cord injuries result in some level of permanent impairment.

Often, those patients who suffer complete injuries recover very little of their abilities and functions which they had before the accident. People who have sustained incomplete injuries have a greater chance of recovery. A diagnosis which was initially one of a complete injury can later be downgraded to incomplete injuries.

Adjusting to a catastrophic, life-changing spinal injury can take time. Personal injury attorney Jeffrey Dawson represents spinal cord injury victims’ best interests to ensure maximum financial compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and lifelong medical requirements.