California Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers
Spinal Cord Injury
The spinal cord is a vital conduit through which your brain controls the rest of your body. A spinal cord injury can occur following any number of accidents. Such injury can result in severe life-long impairment such as paralysis or loss of control over body functions. If you are involved in an accident that hurts your head, neck and/or back, you should get treatment immediately in order to reduce the long-term impact of your injuries as much as possible.
Spinal cord injury can cause two possible forms of spinal cord injury: traumatic and non-traumatic.
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
This is usually caused by a sudden blow to the spine that results in dislocation, crushing or compression by one or more vertebrae or a sudden severance of the cord. In addition to the immediate injury, further damage continues to occur due to bleeding, swelling and fluid collection around the injured site. The most common causes are the following:
- Gunshot, knife wound or other violent injury (seen in approximately 15% of new cases each year)
- Motor vehicle accidents (account for 40% annually)
- Falls (cause of nearly 25%, especially in the elderly)
- Sports and recreational activities (responsible for approximately 8%)
- Alcohol use (plays a part in approximately one out of four reports)
Non-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Any injury to the spinal cord not caused by an accident, assault or other outside cause is considered to be non-traumatic. While the outcomes may be the same as with traumatic injury, the causes are usually illness or diseases such as arthritis or disk degeneration.
Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury
There are symptoms, some more obvious than others, that signal that you may be suffering from a spinal cord injury. If you are experiencing any of the following and have reason to believe a spinal cord injury may be responsible, you should contact a doctor immediately:
- Pain or a sensation of pressure in your head, neck and/or back
- Weakness, loss of coordination or paralysis
- A sensation of "pins-and-needles" or numbness in your extremities that doesn’t immediately subside
- Loss of the ability to control your bladder or bowels
- Loss of balance and other difficulty walking
- Trouble breathing
- Contortion of your neck or back
- Inability to move any body part
- Lack of sensation such as the ability to feel heat
- Muscle spasms
- Back pain, especially if it seems to radiate down a limb
Time Is a Factor
If you suffer an accident or injury that hurts your head or spine, whether or not you experience any symptoms at the scene, you should seek medical attention immediately. Spinal cord injuries may take time to fully manifest, meaning you may not feel anything right away, but still suffer potentially catastrophic damage later as fluids accumulate around your spinal cord. Time is definitely a factor in whether your spinal cord injury can be minimized or repaired. You should seek the advice of a physician in order to prevent progression of the injury to the point of partial or full paralysis.
For more information regarding your legal rights as the victim of a serious spinal cord injury in California, please contact The Brain Injury Legal Help Center at (800) 610-1892 to discuss your situation with a skilled California brain injury lawyer. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, so please do not hesitate to call.