Henderson Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries can be life-changing events and can cause victims to suffer significant physical and emotional consequences. Understanding the nature of spinal cord injuries, their impact on the brain and body, and how to navigate life following an injury is crucial for both individuals and their families. 

Having the legal support of experienced spinal cord injury lawyers like those at Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, can help victims seek compensation and justice after their accident. If your injury resulted from an accident or negligence, you have legal rights and options available to you.

What is a spinal cord injury?

The spinal cord is a critical component of your body’s function and serves as the gateway of communication between your brain and the other parts of your body.

A spinal cord injury occurs when the spinal cord sustains damage after a traumatic accident. This damage can result from a fall, sports injuries, a car accident, a truck accident, or medical conditions like tumors or infections.

Complete vs. incomplete spinal cord injuries 

A spinal cord injury can be classified as a complete or an incomplete injury. Complete injuries are when all sensory and ability to control the movement of your limbs are lost. 

An incomplete injury is when you have some motor or sensory function. The level of sensory and motor function depends on the extent of the damages sustained from your injury. 

Additionally, the severity of the injury depends on its location and extent. Other signs and symptoms that a spinal cord injury has occurred can include the following: 

• Loss of movement and loss of altered sensation, including the inability to feel hot or cold when touched
• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Spasms or exaggerated reflex activities
• Pain or stinging sensations that result from damage to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord
• Difficulty breathing or coughing
• Sexual dysfunction 

Types of spinal cord injuries

There are other types of spinal cord injury, and their classifications depend on where the spinal column injury occurred. The four major types of injuries include: 

• Cervical spinal cord injuries: Impacting the head and neck region
• Thoracic spinal cord injuries: Impacting the upper chest, mid-back, and abdominal region
• Lumbar spinal cord injuries: Impacting the hips and legs
• Sacral spinal cord injuries: Impacting the hips, back of thighs, buttocks, and pelvic organs

How does a spinal cord injury affect the brain?

When a spinal cord injury happens, the brain’s ability to communicate with the body is disrupted. The level of disruption depends on the severity and location of the injury. 

In a complete spinal cord injury where the spinal cord has been entirely severed, the brain cannot send and receive signals below where the injury site is. A severed spinal cord injury will lead to paralysis and loss of motor control below the injury site. 

Severe injuries resulting from a severed spinal cord lead to tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia. This is when the spinal cord injury impacts the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.

Spinal cord injuries can also cause sensory deficits, making it challenging for individuals to perceive touch, temperature, or pain sensations in the affected areas. In addition to losing sensory control, an individual may not have control over their bladder and bowel function, and there may be sexual dysfunction and other complications related to sensory control. 

Individuals who suffer a complete severing of the spinal cord may also experience cognitive issues that will impact their lives. With a majority of these daily sensory functions, a victim will need medical support to help them with everyday tasks. 

How does spinal cord injury affect the body?

A spinal cord injury can have a range of effects on the body. The severity of the spinal cord injury largely dictates how the body will be affected. Common side effects that can impact the body include the following: 

Breathing issues

A spinal cord injury at C4 or higher can affect the muscles needed for breathing, as this injury will affect the diaphragm. Breathing may become weak, difficult, and it may be hard for a victim to cough or clear mucus that develops in their lungs and airways. In some cases, an individual may need a tracheostomy for breathing support. 

Neurogenic shock

Your brain is responsible in part for controlling blood pressure and your body’s heart rate. If the proper signals cannot be sent to the brain, issues with low heart rate and low blood pressure may ensue. As a result, victims may need support such as a bed that helps elevate the head, an abdominal binder may be used, and in some cases, medication may also be administered. 

Temperature regulation

A victim who has suffered a spinal cord injury may be unable to sweat or produce goosebumps to help regulate their temperature. As a result, they may need to have help having blankets placed on them when they are cold or removed when they need to be cooled down. 

Victims may also experience a range of other physical ailments, including stomach issues, difficulty swallowing or eating, muscle issues, pain, and sexual dysfunction. 

Can a spinal cord injury heal?

Spinal cord injuries cannot heal or be cured. However, with the right medical treatment, additional injuries and irreversible damage can be prevented.

In very rare cases, individuals who have suffered minor spinal cord injuries have been able to develop sensation and regain some function years after the injury has occurred. While rare, this is often because of immediate and continued physical and mental support that a victim receives, which helps to strengthen other muscle groups in their body that the injury has not impacted.

Medical and technological advances in the healthcare industry have not definitively ruled out a cure for spinal cord injuries. While a spinal cord injury causes irreversible nerve damage, medical technology has advanced enormously over the past few years. In May 2023,  reports surfaced on the groundbreaking medical support received by a 40-year-old man from the Netherlands. The man was able to stand and walk after a severe but partial spinal cord injury paralyzed him in 2011. 

With the help of implants placed in his brain and spinal cord, doctors were able to establish a connection, enabling him to gain partial control over his body. 

While this case is purely experimental, and researchers are still working on a cure; for now, the best treatment following a spinal cord injury is establishing a solid healthcare plan and keeping up with daily routine management tactics. 

How can Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, help you?

Dealing with a spinal cord injury is overwhelming, and the legal complexities associated with such cases can add to the stress. This is where Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, can help support you with the legal guidance you can count on.

With years of experience in personal injury law, our robust team of attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and support staff understands the unique challenges of spinal cord injury cases.  Our team is dedicated to fighting for the rights of affected individuals and their families.

Our experienced Henderson spinal cord injury attorneys are well-versed in the intricacies of insurance claims, negotiations, and court proceedings. They work tirelessly to ensure clients receive the compensation they deserve to cover medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering resulting from the injury.

Sources: 

Quadriplegia. (2023). 

Spinal Cord Injury. (2023).

Sullivan, W. (2023). Paralyzed Man Walks Again With Brain and Spinal Cord Implants.

Types and Levels of Spinal Cord Injuries. (2023).