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, complete and incomplete. A complete 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. For instance, an injury to the spine in the neck area will affect the cervical vertebrae, so an injury to the nerves at the fifth cervical vertebra is called a C-5 injury. Below the neck are the thoracic vertebrae, so injuries there are defined as T-1, etc. Below these are the lumbar and sacral vertebrae.
Generally speaking, neck injuries can 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 control, 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 has suffered a spinal cord injury that seems to have been someone else's fault, call VanDerGinst Law at 1-866-843-7367 or click here for a FREE online case evaluation. The initial consultation is free of charge. If we agree to handle your injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if, and when, there is a money recovery for you. In many cases a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. So please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
More Information
- Complete vs. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury - What is the difference and how does it affect victims of a spinal cord injury?
- Glossary of Spine Terminology
- Spinal Cord Injury FAQ
- Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
Links on the Web
 Spinal Cord Injuries WireComprehensive News Feed for Spinal Cord Injuries. |
| Thu, 08 May 2008 20:55:49 GMT Spinal Cord Injury Research Hampered by Animal Models, Says New Study Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Research on traumatic spinal cord injuries is hampered by a reliance on animal experiments that don't accurately predict human outcomes, says a new study in the upcoming edition of the peer-reviewed journal ... Click here to read this Spinal Cord Injury news article. |
| Mon, 05 May 2008 09:29:05 GMT Varied therapies for spinal cord injury Ventura County Star There is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been made in clinical research that could lead to one. Click here to read this Spinal Cord Injury news article. |
| Sun, 04 May 2008 21:36:09 GMT No cure for spinal cord injury, but therapies may help restore some function C-Health There is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been made in clinical research that could lead to one. Click here to read this Spinal Cord Injury news article. |
| Sat, 03 May 2008 16:37:00 GMT Varied therapies for spinal cord injury Spartanburg Herald-Journal There is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been made in clinical research that could lead to one. Click here to read this Spinal Cord Injury news article. |
| Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT Animal Models Not Suitable For Spinal Cord Injury Research Medical News Today ... / Drug Trials ; Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Article Date: 29 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT Research on traumatic spinal cord injuries is hampered by a reliance on animal experiments that don't accurately predict human outcomes, says a new study in the ... Click here to read this Spinal Cord Injury news article. |
| Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:15:00 GMT Effectiveness of decompression surgery in patients with cervical spinal cord injuries News-Medical.Net Every year, nearly 12,000 individuals in the United States and Canada, mostly young adults, sustain a spinal cord injury . Click here to read this Spinal Cord Injury news article. |
