What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
Your spinal cord, along with your brain, is part of your central nervous system. Your brain sends signals through your spinal cord all over your body for all sorts of purposes.
A spinal cord injury is any damage to your spinal cord or its nerve endings. These injuries result in permanent damage to mobility, feeling, strength, and bodily functions experienced below the injury site.Even in less severe cases, new symptoms can pop up months or even years after the initial injury. Over a quarter of a million Americans live with spinal cord injuries. They most commonly occur through motor vehicle accidents, falls, violent acts, and athletic injuries.
How Do I Tell If My Spinal Cord Is Injured?
If you believe you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, don’t move. Use the telephone or the assistance of another person to seek immediate medical care. Symptoms that may point to the possibility of spinal cord injury include:
- Full or partial inability to move
- Numbness and tingling
- Pain, especially persistent headache or “pinching” sensations in the neck
- Lack of coordination, especially in limbs below the injury site
- Shortness of breath
- Reduced sex drive or sexual function
- Weak bladder or bowel control
Are Spinal Cord Injuries Permanent?
The spinal cord lacks the ability to regenerate damaged nerves, so most spinal cord injuries are permanent, though some may improve with time.
Can I Sue for a Spinal Cord Injury?
If you believe you have suffered a spinal injury due to someone else’s wrongdoing or negligence, you should contact a qualified personal injury attorney like Shlesinger & deVilleneuve immediately after seeking medical care.
