| Spinal Cord Injury
Over 10,000 people in the US suffer a spinal cord injury, also
called SCI, each year. SCI is defined as any damage to the spinal
cord that results in loss of function or mobility. Such injuries
can be caused by trauma or disease and can result in temporary or
permanent loss of sensation, loss of movement (paralysis), or loss
of bowel or bladder control. Auto accidents are the primary cause
but violence related accidents have been increasing steadily as
a cause of SCI’s. Falls and sports accidents also cause many
SCI’s each year.
There are two types of injury, compete and incomplete. A compete
injury is one in which the victim has no sensation or voluntary
motor movement on either side of the body below the level of the
injury. If the victim has some feeling or partial movement, it is
called an incomplete injury.
Injuries are usually defined with reference to the area of the
spine affected. Nerves in the spine are defined by the area of the
vertebrae – an injury to the spine in the neck area will affect
the cervical vertebrae – injury to the nerves at the fifth
cervical vertebra is called a C-5 injury, for instance. Below the
neck are the thoracic vertebrae, so injuries there are defined as
T-1, etc. Then there are lumbar and sacral vertebrae.
Generally speaking, neck injuries will lead to paralysis of all
limbs (quadriplegia) while thoracic injuries cause paralysis to
the lower limbs only (paraplegia). Both areas have variations in
the amount of dysfunction, depending on the severity of the injury.
An incomplete cervical injury can leave the patient with some hand
use, while a complete injury at C-4 can require the patient to be
on a ventilator. Thoracic injuries can leave the arms functional
but interfere with walking, bowel and bladder control, and sexual
function. Other functions that can be affected are blood pressure,
body temperature, and pain levels.
A spinal cord injury usually involves swelling of the spinal cord
which affects the whole body. When the swelling goes down, the patient
may regain function months or years after the injury but it is rare
for all functioning to be recovered. Treatment presently consists
of stabilizing any broken vertebrae, maintaining the patient, preventing
movement to the injured area, and reducing swelling. There is no
cure for SCI but stem cell research has shown some signs of being
useful in the future.
If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call Boller
& Vaughan S.C. at (608) 268-0268 or submit
an online questionnaire. The initial consultation is free of
charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency
fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there
is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be
filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of
limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive
your right to possible compensation.
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