Spinal Injury

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Your spine is a sensitive array of nerves, cartilage, muscle, and bone that affects how your whole body operates. Any injury to these parts may potentially impact the entire rest of your body, especially if your spinal cord is damaged.

Spinal injuries vary widely in severity and duration, but they can potentially change the rest of your life. They may cause pain, loss of motion, and even full paralysis. This can cost you your job, your ability to walk or drive, and even make it harder for you to spend time with your family.

How Spinal Injuries Happen

Spinal injuries can happen due to any kind of impact, including indirect pulling or pushing of the spine. The tissues, bones, and muscles are sensitive enough that a negligent doctor could injure them, bringing grounds for a medical malpractice case.

In car accidents, the car’s sudden stopping motion frequently results in an injury known as whiplash. The head jerks forward, putting strain on the cervical vertebrae at the top of the spine. Severe car accidents where the body sustains other impacts from the top or side may also damage other parts of the spine.

Falls and other accidents commonly cause injuries to the bottom of the spine, known as the lumbar region, or the cervical vertebrae. The deciding factor in falls is which parts of the body hit the ground first.

Any part of the body that hits the ground in an uncontrolled fall could be severely injured, but your spine may still sustain mild to moderate injuries even if your back, head, or hips don’t hit the ground first.

Types of Spinal Injuries

Moderate spinal injuries, such as whiplash, herniated discs, and sciatica, are common in falls and car accidents. These injuries mostly affect the fluids and tissues surrounding the spine but can cause pain that radiates out to your limbs.

Injuries to the spinal cord are dangerous because of how fragile it is. If the delicate nerves are severed or otherwise damaged, the resulting conditions include:

Anterior spinal cord syndrome
Central spinal cord syndrome
Brown-Sequard syndrome
Paraplegia
Tetraplegia

All these conditions involve some or all loss of motor function, pain perception, or touch perception. Although research into treating these conditions is ongoing, a patient’s chances of a full recovery are sometimes very low. You’ll need to consult with a lawyer about your best options for seeking financial compensation.

Getting the Help You Deserve

Even if your chances of recovery are good, you or your loved one may be out of work or unable to take care of the house for a while. Your medical bills may start piling up, even if you thought you had adequate health insurance.

No matter if it was caused by medical malpractice, a car crash, or any other type of incident, the damaging of you or a loved one’s spinal cord could be a life-changing experience, resulting in anything from a chronic condition to complete paralysis. To ensure the parties responsible face justice and your needs are taken care of, call Michael LaScala today!