The Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries and Their Impact on the Victim’s Life

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The Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries and Their Impact on the Victim’s Life

Most accident victims have to go through a complex legal process to get compensation. Getting reimbursed after such incidents is important, considering the losses involved.

For instance, a victim who has suffered a spine injury can, partially or entirely, lose their ability to perform everyday functions without assistance.

It is in the victim’s best interest to consult the best spinal cord injury attorney after an accident to increase their chances of getting better compensation.

In this article, we’ll dive into the various types of spinal cord injuries and review how they affect victims. It also talks about how one can sustain a spinal cord injury.

Accidents Leading to Spinal Cord Injury Cases

Various accidents can result in spinal cord injuries. However, it is possible to get a spine injury from non-severe accidents, depending on your body and the context of the incident.

Here are some common accidents leading to spine injuries:

• Slip and falls at work: Slips can occur at any workplace. However, certain environments, like construction sites and other manual labor jobs, are more risky.
• Medical malpractice: Medical malpractice accounts for 4.3% of spinal cord injuries in the U.S., automatically resulting in malpractice lawsuits. 
• Road accidents: Vehicle accidents are another leading cause of spine injuries, leaving most victims wheelchair-bound.
• Sports injuries: Unfortunately, American sports culture attracts 8% of spine injury cases. These occur during in-game and strength training activities.
• Violence: Unfortunately, 13.5% of spinal cord injuries occur from physical violence. This can happen in home-based violence or robbery situations.

Types of Spine Injuries

Spinal cord injuries can be categorized as complete or incomplete.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Victims sustaining incomplete injuries can still get spine signals sent to the brain, allowing them to retain partial movement. This includes muscle control, which can help them execute basic actions like turning and making hand gestures.

An incomplete spine injury is further classified into various syndromes, which can be treated using therapy or medication. These include:

• Central cord syndrome
• Brown-Sequard syndrome
• Anterior cord syndrome

Complete Spinal Cord Injury

Unlike the former, a complete spine injury leaves victims with zero sensory feeling. It can happen in various ways, including:

• Damage to the lower Lumbar spine: Injury to the lower spine area leads to a loss of feeling around your hips and legs.
• Injuring the Cervical spine: This is located in the neck area and usually affects the victim’s arms and legs. Additionally, it can lead to breathing issues.

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Impact of Spinal Cord Injuries on Victims

A spine injury directly affects your everyday life. True to that, most victims require third-party assistance for basic duties like bathing, changing clothes, or eating.

Here are the effects of a spinal injury on an individual:

• Physical Effects: Being partially or entirely paralyzed can greatly affect an individual’s life. Losing mobility can potentially lead to being fired from your job. Remember to hire a credible lawyer to help fight for compensation after sustaining severe damages.
• Psychological issues: Victims might live with stress due to the sudden shift in their lives. That’s why therapy is essential.
• Monetary pressure: Long-term effects, like the need for rehabilitation, lead to extra financial expenses. Also, most compensations acquired cannot cover lifetime medical procedures. However, a good attorney can help you get full-time medical coverage.

Conclusion

Regardless of the type of spine injury, the aftermath is hard to deal with. Long-term effects include the inability to perform bodily functions like sitting without support or walking.

Therefore, you need a good advocate to help fight for justice and secure compensation for medical expenses and all the other damages you had to go through.